Dr Sun, who played a central role in the founding of modern China in 1912, had a soft spot for HKU. He was one of the first two graduates of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (the forerunner of HKU) in 1892, graduating with a Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery. In 1923 he visited HKU's campus where he proclaimed: "I feel as though I have returned home because Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong are the birthplace of my knowledge." A statue of Dr Sun is by the University's lily pond.

Sir H.N. Mody was a Parsee merchant who stepped in to provide financial backing for the proposed HKU when it seemed on the brink of being abandoned. He worked closely with Governor Lugard to steer the project forward and at the ground-breaking ceremony, presented the Governor with a golden trowel. The Governor, in turn, proceeded to announce that Mody had been appointed a Knight Bachelor. A bust of Sir H.N. Mody is outside Loke Yew Hall.