Gerry Collis Field

The Bakersfield College Archives Newsletter FALL 2016 Volume 15, Issue 2 The Dean and Adah Gay Sports Complex Gerry Collis Field In This Issue A Tale of Two Diamonds ....................................................... 2-3 Calling All BC Retirees ............................................................ 7 New Acquisitions ..................................................................... 3 From Our Readers, Part 2 ........................................................ 8 An Early Version of Jack Frost Football ................................... 4 People We Will Miss ................................................................ 9 Gone, Dr Jack .......................................................................... 5 The Queens Corrected: A Letter and Reply .............................. 9 From Our Readers, Part 1 ........................................................ 5 The Iconic BHS Water Tower and The Renegades ................... 10 Bakersfield Classical Guitar Society ...................................... 6-7 Building Dedications: McCuen Hall ....................................... 11 By Sandi Taylor, BC Athletic Director & Francis Mayer, Sports Information Director President Greg Chamberlain, Mayor Harvey Hall, Benefactor David Gay, February 4, 2010. AA TaleTale ofof TwoTwo DiamondsDiamonds The Dean and Adah Gay Sports Complex The two diamond sports fields that sit home to Bakersfield, where he became and you were head-high to foul balls, so on the southwest corner of the Panorama committed to guiding the next generation of the renovation brought them up to ground Campus of Bakersfield College were not Kern County prospects find their way to the level which increased safety in a big way built in a day, nor were they built in a year. Big Leagues. because we didn’t have a lot of foul territory, Like many institutions, traditions, and One way he offered this guidance was so it wasn’t safe,” Painton said. buildings that are part of the Bakersfield through his Light Brigade. Culver and the Light Brigade would go College tradition, they bear many “When John Moncier took over the on to raise about one million to one and a fingerprints…and many drops of sweat. baseball program in 86 or 87, they tore out half million dollars in a 25 to 30 year period, The original Bakersfield College the infield grass and completely renovated Painton estimates. baseball park was built in 1956, and thus it,” current Bakersfield College Baseball Those donations would pay for the state began the “approach by committee” that Coach Tim Painton said. of the art clubhouse that bears Culver’s gives us the modern-day Gerry Collis Field. Painton explained that the infield name, and would help jumpstart the seating Appropriately, the tale begins with renovation was a massive undertaking renovation project that came to involve Coach Collis; in 1962, he decided to put the involving many layers of soil and very softball, and the fingerprints and sweat of ivy on the outfield fence to add character to specific treatments; a project light years another vanguard of facility rehabilitation. the ballpark. Coach Walt Johnson added beyond a residential re-sodding. Current Athletic Director Sandi Taylor the first restrooms and the first dugouts “And he did that with the help of George came to Bakersfield College in 1990 after sometime later in the sixties, marking the Culver,” Painton added. a successful playing career at Fresno State last significant alteration to the park until a The Light Brigade’s namesake project- where her team finished 2nd at the First new vanguard entered the picture. lights for night games at Gerry Collis Field- ever NCAA Women’s College World This new vanguard came in the form would go up in 1993, and the fundraising Series. Taylor began her coaching career of North High Alumnus and Bakersfield continued to provide a scoreboard in 1995. at Tulare Western High School where her College star George Culver. Culver had “Before our dugouts were redone in team won four East Yosemite League pitched in the big leagues and returned 2001, they were sunken into the ground, titles in eight years. 2 Archives Newsletter But when she came to BC, the softball field had yet to become worthy of NewNew the name “complex”, which it now bears with the names of generous benefactors Dean and Adah Gay preceding. The field AcquisitionsAcquisitions had received donations of lights and a scoreboard when the city used the field for slow pitch leagues in the early 80’s. Archives acquisitions often lead to With seating for about 50 spectators, the discovery of interesting interrelated no bull pens for pitchers to warm up or information. That occurred with the outfield fencing, Taylor began renovating donation of Oracles from Mary K the facility through fundraising activities. Shell. (The Oracle is the yearbook of “The college district ponied up funds, Kern County High School/Bakersfield and we were able to bring both the baseball High School.) It all began when retired and softball fields into the 21st century Bakersfield College track coach Bob in terms of both comfort and Americans Covey noted that in 1913 a Mr. E.J. with Disabilities Act compliance,” Taylor Jaynes was the Kern County High School explained. girls’ basketball coach. Recognizing With funds from the KCCD and that Mary K Shell’s maiden name was generous community members, the fields Jaynes, Bob felt they must be related. share a modern restroom facility, and are An inquiry to Mary K followed. After standards by which other facilities in the consulting her old Oracles, she realized state are measured. that the E. J. Jaynes may have been a President Greg Chamberlain, Mayor Harvey Hall, Benefactor David Gay, February 4, 2010. While the monetary donations were Miss instead of a Mister. From her 1914 critical to the project, the passions of a Oracle, she found that her aunt Elsie few folks were key; Culver was bound and Jaynes graduated that year. However, it determined to do what he could to ensure seems improbable that, as a junior in high that the next young person with a blessed school, Elsie would have been the girls’ pitching arm would have every benefit basketball coach. Another possibility is possible to send him to the next level and that Elsie’s mother, Eliza Jaynes, helped so he raised funds with the same passion out with the basketball team in 1913 that propelled him to the big leagues. when Elsie was a junior. We have no Taylor was determined to have indication of that or that Elsie participated facilities that proved the spirit of Title in sports. Neither one had a middle initial Nine, and that women’s sports would of J. The mystery goes on. compete on the same footing as their Meanwhile, in figuring out what to male counterparts; something she didn’t do with her old Oracles, Mary K realized member of the BC Foundation Board, and was have as youth competitor; and so she dug that the Bakersfield College Archives named one of the 100 stars of Bakersfield College at the ground with her own two hands on would welcome them. Many people history during BC’s centennial year. weekends and evenings, removing large who attended old KC (Kern County Mary K donated Oracles from the years 1914, boulders and hewing the ground with the High School) forget that Bakersfield 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1925, and 1928. These same passion that she gave to batting College shared that campus from 1913 are real treasures to us in the Archives. They each practice with her father in Tulare, long to 1956 and the BC Archives welcomes contain a section devoted to the Junior College, a before she had any idea that she’d be memorabilia from those years when tradition which continued until the college started among the first women to compete in a what was happening on that KC campus its own yearbook, The Raconteur, in 1931. College World Series. was also part of BC’s history. We still need Oracles from 1913, 1919 Thanks to the very personal efforts For you newcomers, Mary K Shell through 1924, 1926-1927, of folks like Taylor and Culver and the attended Bakersfield College from 1945- 1929-1930. A incredible generosity of community 1947, married Joe Shell (a Republican members who believed in a better future leader and former minority leader of Photo Captions: (Top) Mary K. Shell receiving for their children, there will be more big- California State Assembly), became her 100 Stars award from BC president Sonya leaguers and women’s College World the first woman mayor of Bakersfield, Christian, 2013. Series stars. and later the 2nd woman Kern County (Bottom) Mary K “Miki” as seen in the 1946 That’s the power of passing it on. A Supervisor. She has been a loyal, Raconteur. supportive BC alum, has served as a Archives Newsletter 3 An Early Version of Jack Frost Football By Jerry Kirkland Only later would it occur to me that, marking the sideline boundaries. Before intended or not, this class had little to do long, everyone - or almost everyone – with football and a great deal to do with was heavily involved. It was fun being self-direction and the development of unencumbered by a lot of rules and that organizational skills. first class period went by rather quickly. A typical class period went something After a couple of class sessions, we like this: We changed into P.E. togs in the had figured out who could pass, who locker room under the main seating area could hike the ball, who could catch it at Griffith Stadium, then lined up on the and who could run fast. Those who were Following the earthquake of 1952, 50 yard line, shoulder to shoulder facing slow of foot and/or devoid of enthusiasm some buildings on the high school and Coach Frost. Equipment required for for the task were, of course, blockers. junior college campus were rendered the class was minimal. He had arrived The potential for complete chaos was unsafe for occupancy, at least temporarily.

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