COLLEGE CHRONOLOGY
1948 - 1959

History Tour

Photographs

1960's Chronology

• 1948
  Contra Costa County citizens vote to establish a community college district.

• 1949
  October: District superintendent Drummond McCunn negotiates with the U.S. Maritime Commission for the use of a portion of the Richmond shipyards as a campus.

• 1950
  
  • February 14: The first classes are held at West Contra Costa Junior College.
  • John Porterfield is the college's first director.
  • The student newspaper, The Blue and Gray Newsletter, begins publication.
  • Students vote on a college mascot. "Wolves" is the winner, but opposition is so strong that the selection is set aside.
  • First athletes to represent the "Royal Blue and Silver Gray" is the track team.
  • May: First student government officers elected.
  • June: The first graduating class is composed of three students.
  • 1,500 students register for the fall semester (up from 460 the first semester).
  • The football team is first to be known as the "Comets" (named for the celestial comets)

• 1951
  March 26: the Board of Trustees renames the college West Contra Costa Junior College.

• 1953
  
  • April 14: The formal deed to approximately half of the property on which the current campus sits is acquired from the U.S. government.
  • Almost simultaneously, the remainder of the campus (the part known as "Tank Farm Hill") is purchased from John J. Jerome.
  • John Porterfield resigns as the director of the college.
  • Joseph P. Cosand is chosen as the new director.

• 1954
  Construction of the Humanities Building approved. Construction begins in the summer.

• 1955
  • February 6: A fire destroys the Life Sciences Building at the shipyard campus.
  • The baseball team doesn't have a home field, but it doesn't matter -- they win the state championship trophy, the only one in the college's history (so far).

• 1956
  
  • Fall: Classes begin at the new campus (half in San Pablo, half in Richmond).
  • The campus consists of the Humanties and Physical Sciences Buildings, 10 temporary buildings, a temporary parking lot, and an athletic field.
  • Preliminary figures show a daytime enrollment of 1,134.
  • 146 students are declared eligible to join the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
  • Construction of the Physical Sciences Building and Men's Locker Room approved.

• 1957
  
  • August 3: The lease on the shipyard campus is cancelled.
  • Fall: Dr. George J. Faul is named the new director (later president) of West Contra Costa Junior College.
  • The student newspaper changes its name to Comet's Tale

• 1958
  
  • The college changes its name to Contra Costa College.
  • Dean of Instruction Dale Tillery resigns. He is replaced by natural science instructor Raymond S. Dondero.
  • Construction of the Student Association Building is approved.

• 1959
  
  • Faculty members Dr. Charles Lovy and Shully Miller are granted sabbaticals, the first in the college's history.
  • Construction of the Biological Sciences Building approved.
  History Tour  | Photographs |  1960's Chronology

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  Text/photographs courtesy of the College Archives, THE ADVOCATE, the Graphics Dept., and Barb Ross.

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  Last updated: 18 September 2008
  Website maintained by Ellen Geringer egeringer@contracosta.edu