PCC History Dates Back to 1887
by Pam Beerer
Service to the community has been the prime goal of this junior college
from its conception. Its programs have been geared to meet the needs of
all students, not only those who intend to continue their education at a
four year institution, but also those who choose to complete their formal
training at PCC.
The college has provided without charge to the individual both a
general education and vocational training.
The history of this college is deeply intertwined with the history of the
Pasadena school system in general and with Pasadena High School in
particular, since the junior college was originally an extension of the
high school.
In the fall of 1887, the very first Pasadena High School was established
offering a three year academic program taught by nine teachers. It was
housed in the Woodrow Wilson Building at the corner of Walnut Street
and Marengo Avenue. Three hundred students, including the grammar
school, received instruction there.
From 1891, when a fourth year was added to the high school, until 1911
attendance continued to grow. The school had moved to the corner of Los
Robles Avenue and Walnut Street and had also taken over the abandoned
buildings of the Throop Military Academy at the corner of Chestnut
Street and Walnut Street.
In 1911, the citizens of Pasadena passed a bond issue to raise funds for
a new high school. Eighteen acres of land were purchased on East
Colorado Street, the present location of PCC. June 8, 1912 the cornerstone
of Pasadena Polytechnic High School, as it was then called, was laid.
Seventy-nine teachers and 1529 students started the school year in the
fall of 1913.
In order to meet the growing needs of the community, adult education
was established in 1915 at the high school.
It was from a reorganization of the Pasadena City Schools in 1924 that
PCC evolved. This plan designated a system of junior high schools which
were to eventually include the ninth and tenth grades. It also added one
year of college to be conducted on the same campus as the high school.
Wide Range of Skills
Learned in Forensics
by Jim Douglas
Tucked away in the Communcation Department is a little known class,
headed by Miss Chrystal Watson, entitled Forensics. What is it? Well,
the word itself is of Latin origin and it means competitive speech, or
debate. The term Miss Watson perfers is “persuasive speaking.”
The class structure is very liberal and has no established
prerequisites. Its goal is to provide students with a wide range of skills in
interpersonal communication. That offer, in itself, should be of interest
to students majoring in business, law, political science, drama, English,
speech, and telecommunications. In fact, the list of majors applicable is
virtually endless. Anyone who just wants to relate to others on a more
satisfying level should have a closer look at the class and what it offers.
However, its main focal point is on public speaking.
Along with the acquisition of “persuasive speaking” skills, students
have an opportunity to apply them in competitive debate on a national
level.
Last year, our debating team placed second in their division and fourth
overall on the national scale while in competition at the Biltmore in Los
Angeles.
This year, our team will travel to Gattlingburg, Tennessee, the home
of arts and crafts, located at the base of the beautiful Smokey Ridge
Mountains, to compete with colleges from all parts of the country.
Along with the National Debate, there are eight to ten additional
tournaments open to the Forensics student throughout the semester.
During this .year’s Career Fair, the Forensics class will have its own
booth, located on the mall, representing the Communcation Department,
along with KPCS, the campus radio station, a new class titled, In¬
structional Media Technology, and a tour guide starting point that will
take small groups over to the telecom studio in C building.
Parent education couple participate in infant nursing program.
Members of PCC debating team show off trophies won in competition.
Computer Science Careers,
The Future Looks Bright
by Connie Mueller
Ten years ago, PCC and other colleges initiated vocational programs
for employment in Computer Sciences for those who graduated with an
AA degree. For a period of time the Federal Government supported
these vocational programs. The vocational program was either strictly
skill training in keypunch or for a degree in program technology,
mathematics, science and later in business.
In those days the vast majority of students trained for an entry job in a
middle level of technology. No degree was really necessary back then,
but now businesses prefer those who have an M.A. or a Ph.D. It is even
suggested that those majoring in Life Science, Physical Science, and the
like, should have some computer training.
By the mid 70’s industry will switch from hiring computer trainees to
those with degrees in programming and who have had four year college
experience. Because of this, PCC is phasing out the vocational programs
in Computer Science and will no longer support full fledged vocational
training. Instead it will provide the first two year curriculum for transfer
students pursuing a career in Computer Science. One exception to the
phasing out of the vocational training is in keypunch, which PCC will still
provide.
The use of computers is growing. Students in a computer course are
able to use a remote terminal (a typewriter hooked up to a telephone) to
gain outside information. This is now in effect at PCC as far as getting
experience with a remote terminal.
An example of a remote terminal in the future would be its use by
students on this campus and other colleges. A PCC student in English
Literature, for example, could feed information into the computer, the
course title, location of where the book was written or where the story
takes place, the century it was written, and if it should be fiction or non¬
fiction. In a few minutes' time, the computer would type out a list of
references in the PCC library and in other libraries throughout the
country that have additional information on the subject.
This institution was known as Pasadena Junior College.
A unique plan of education was adopted by the Board of Education for
the Pasadena City Schools in April of 1928. This reorganization of the
school system was called the 6-4-4 Plan and provided for six years of
grammar school, four years of junior high school, and combined the
upper two classes of high school with the two years of junior college.
It was hoped that the establishment of the 6-4-4 Plan would induce
students to continue their education past the high school level.
The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 did considerable structural
damage to the buildings that were now 21 years old. As a result, a four
year period of reconstruction was begun, during which the classes of
Pasadena Junior College were conducted in tents.
An unprecendented merger took place in 1938 when PJC expanded to
include as its West Campus John Muir Technical High School. The two
campuses shared their publications, social life, clubs, activities, and
student and faculty administration. John Muir Technical High School
became the Lincoln Avenue Campus of PJC.
World War II brought many changes to PJC. For the first time since its
founding, enrollment was reduced. Military enlistments took away many
of the students. Because of this decrease, all students attended classes on
the East Colorado Campus, and the buildings at Muir were used by the
Army for military preparedness classes.
After the war, the Muir campus was separated from PJC in 1946. It
officially became John Muir College.
The name of PJC was changed in 1947 to Pasadena City College. It was
felt that this designation was more appropriate since the college served
the vocational needs of many students who were terminating their
education as well as those who would continue. The school also met the
needs of many others as adult education continued to expand.
On June 30, 1954, Pasadena City College closed its doors as a four year
college. The people had voted to drop the 6-4-4 Plan.
Separation of the high school from the college was due to a number of
factors. The size had grown again following World War II since many
veterans wanted to complete their education. There was a desire to
conform to the organization of the other junior colleges throughout the
state. Having its own governing board would give the junior college more
attention, thereby making purchasing and maintenance more efficient.
In the fall of 1954, PCC opened as a two year institution combining
again the resources of John Muir College and PCC. John Muir jeverted to
a high school on Lincoln Avenue and Pasadena High School remained on
the PCC campus, which by this time had grown to 40 acres, en¬
compassing all the land between Colorado Blvd. and Del Mar Street and
between Hill Avenue and Sierra Bonita Avenue.
The junior college now was governed by an elected Board of Trustees
whose members served staggered terms of office, while the high school
remained under the Board of Education.
It was not until 1960, when a new facility was built for Pasadena High,
that PCC finally had this campus to itself.
Keeping in touch with its original goals, PCC has continued to serve the
community by providing tuition-free education for everyone in the junior
college district. It now accommodates 12,000 to 13,000 students each
semester, 8,000 of those attending during the day and 5,000 in the
evening. Enrollment incontinuing (or adult) education has grown to
14,000 Who attend classes in over 70 locations including schools, chur¬
ches, community houses, parks, and clubs.
Excelled Nursing
Program at PCC
by Sharleen Giordano
If you are undecided about your future career, one vocational
department to consider is the Nursing program at PCC.
The nursing program has been approved by the Board of Nursing
Education and Nursing Registration. Its goal is to prepare students to
develop skills which will equip them to give first rate nursing care. Upon
completing the program and clinical experience, the R.N. and L.V.N.
students are eligible to apply for a license to practice nursing.
One of the most interesting and well organized features the Nursing
Department offers is the Nurses Lab.
Students working towards their R.N. and L.V.N. are divided into
teams of ten and five. Working in teams enables students to benefit not
only from each other’s experiences but, also to develop team-like
qualities which will be useful when working with hospital staff.
The lab is generously supplied with film strips, sound tapes, recor¬
dings and various other equipment, which are beneficial study tools.
In the medicine room, the students have use of earphones which relay
instructions to them using a step by step procedure. If the student feels
she must go back to repeat a step, she may turn off the tape, and then
continue at her convenience.
After three weeks in the nursing program students are sent out in field
assignments. Experience is secured at many hospitals, physicians’
offices, and a variety of clinical and community agencies. This provides
students with the opportunity to work with a number of doctors and
nurses in the prevention of disease, maintenance, health, and curative
aspects of the health care system.
Student and teacher observe translucent globe of the constellations.
