sharing memories Contra Costa Community College District 1948–2008 a collection of stories edited by Bill Harlan FIRST EDITION sharing memories Contra Costa Community College District 1948–2008 a collection of stories edited by Bill Harlan Contra Costa Community College District Martinez, California Copyright © 2009 by Contra Costa Community College District. All rights reserved. Published by Contra Costa Community College District 500 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553 No part of this book may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book. This book may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please contact: Contra Costa Community College District 500 Court Street Martinez CA 94553 www.4cd.edu Cover photo group (from top): East Contra Costa Junior College ground- breaking, 1951; first Governing Board; Contra Costa Junior College District Office, 1950; Los Medanos College construction, 1973; West Contra Costa Junior College International Club students, circa 1951 Cover and interior design by Joan Olson Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request. Printed inHong Kong. first edition isbn 978–0–675–30854–8 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Foreword by Chancellor Helen Benjamin vii Introduction by Bill Harlan xi Historical Overview of the Contra Costa Community College District xvii PART I Colleges Born in Strife chapter 1 The Struggle to Establish a Junior College District Charles Collins, Karl Drexel, Dick Worthen 3 chapter 2 Memories of the Early Days at West Contra Costa Junior College Jean Knox 23 chapter 3 “Education Is My Business . .”—The Stormy Tenure of the First Superintendent Beatrice Green Taines 33 chapter 4 Developing Leadership Under Fire: An Interview with John Porterfi eld and Karl Drexel Ruth Sutter 61 chapter 5 Diablo Valley College’s History Told in Myth Don Mahan 83 iii CONTENTS chapter 6 A Tribute to Harry Buttimer: The Right Man at the Right Time Bill Harlan 101 chapter 7 The Battle Over the Reorganization of Diablo Valley College Bruce Koller 109 PART II Defi ning Our Campuses as the People’s Colleges chapter 8 A Student Remembers West Contra Costa Junior College Beverly Reardon Dutra 125 chapter 9 Counseling as a Foundation of the College Vince Custodio 131 chapter 10 The Los Medanos Organization as Idealism Reborn Richard Livingston 139 chapter 11 Defi ning General Education in the Social Sciences at Diablo Valley College Beverly Reardon Dutra 155 chapter 12 The Evolution of General Education at Los Medanos College Richard Livingston 167 PART III Coping with Change chapter 13 The History of the United Faculty Eugene Huff, Jeffrey Michels, Greg Tilles 187 iv CONTENTS chapter 14 Dynamics of the College District Governing Board Gene Ross 211 chapter 15 A Look at District Finances: Where Did All the Money Go? Chris Leivas 221 chapter 16 Making It All Work: Organizing the Classifi ed Staff at the Colleges Linda Kohler 231 chapter 17 Leaving Home: How Diablo Valley College’s San Ramon Campus Was Created Bill Harlan 239 chapter 18 Los Medanos College’s Brentwood Center: Meeting the Higher Education Needs in Far East County Peter García, Thais Kishi 263 chapter 19 The Diablo Valley College Grade Change Matter Helen Benjamin, Diane Scott-Summers, Judy Vroman 271 PART IV Whose Colleges Are These? chapter 20 Equity, Access, and Inclusion: The African American Experience at Contra Costa College Baji Majette Daniels, Nannette Finley-Hancock, Jim Lacy, Dianne McClain, Evelyn Patterson, Joan Tucker 295 v CONTENTS chapter 21 Revolution in the Classroom: The Growth of Women’s Programs at the Colleges Susan Goldstein, Marge Lasky 307 chapter 22 From Classroom to Boardroom: One Personal Journey, 1968–2008 Maria Theresa Viramontes 325 chapter 23 Diversity at the Top: Celebrating Those Who Led the Way Dr. Helen Benjamin 339 chapter 24 Breaking Barriers: The Program for Students with Disabilities at Diablo Valley College Terry Armstrong, Marianne Goodson 347 chapter 25 Of Tennis, Earthquakes, and Dreams at Contra Costa: How a College Grows More Inclusive Bob Martincich 357 PART V Postscripts: Looking Back and Ahead chapter 26 You Can Go Home Again: A Visit to Los Medanos College Chet Case 369 chapter 27 Looking Ahead to the 75th Anniversary: A Note to Future Historians Chet Case 371 vi Foreword Isn’t it amazing where serendipity and an adventurous spirit can take us? My relationship with the Contra Costa Community College District (District) began in 1989. My colleague Thais Kishi, who was then a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, told me about an opening for a dean at Los Medanos College (LMC) in Pittsburg, California. As Thais described the college and the opportunity, they both sounded interesting, so I decided to apply. I was contacted for an interview while participating in a League for Innovation leadership program in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I told the league’s executive director, Terry O’Banion, about my interview, he was thrilled. He said, “You won’t believe this, but a manager from LMC is attending the meeting.” It gets better. The manager was Sandy Acebo, who had formerly held the dean’s position for which I was applying. Terry called LMC President Chet Case on my behalf and encouraged him to accommo- date my schedule. Then he introduced me to Sandy. We connected imme- diately, and she prepared me for my interview over breakfast one morning. Serendipity, indeed! vii FOREWORD It never dawned on me until I sat waiting for my interview that I didn’t know anyone in California. It was only my second time in the state, and I knew if I accepted the position, the life I had known in Louisiana and Texas would change dramatically and that my children and I would be in for a real adventure. Some 20 years have passed since that interview. The District opened its arms to me and provided wonderful opportunities to learn and grow—at LMC, the District Offi ce, Contra Costa College, and, for the past four years, at the District Offi ce for the third time. I am so thankful that no momentary lapse of courage kept me from deciding to accept the position. I cannot imagine a better place to work and fulfi ll my educational calling. Yes, the District has faced tremendous chal- lenges, but this county and this community have always stood tall against adversity, supporting higher education as a gateway to future success and a better quality of life. This 60th anniversary book, Sharing Memories: Contra Costa Commu- nity College District, 1948–2008, is a contribution to the District’s legacy of action, visionary leadership, committed employees, and tireless commu- nity supporters. It shares the stories of events, decisions, and activities that shaped the unique character of our colleges, and mirrors the societal chal- lenges they faced. It refl ects the many changes that have happened since the last edition in 1986, including efforts to increase the diversity of the faculty and staff to match the ongoing changes in our student population and com- munities. This eclectic collection of personal stories is by no means comprehensive. Our rich legacy could never be captured fully in a single volume. However, it does convey the challenges our founders overcame, provides an under- standing of our complex and diverse community, and helps celebrate the many successes the District has achieved during its 60-year history. I extend heartfelt gratitude to my friend Bill Harlan, who spearheaded this ambitious project. As a former faculty member and District adminis- trator, Bill was not only the right person to understand the sensitivities of the issues we faced, but also had the original vision of sharing our history through this important collection. This book will be a must-read for future employees of the District. viii FOREWORD Finally, this book is dedicated to our Contra Costa County community. On behalf of the District employees and trustees, we are honored to accept the responsibility of meeting the higher education needs of our community, and we look forward to another wonderful 60 years of providing educa- tional opportunities for the thousands of students who come to our cam- puses. Sincerely, Helen Benjamin, Ph.D. Chancellor ix Introduction When Chancellor Helen Benjamin asked me to write a history of the Contra Costa Community College District, I spent several days going through the archives at the District Offi ce. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information I would have to synthesize into a coherent narra- tive. I was even more impressed by the many accounts individuals had writ- ten over the years about specifi c events in which they had been involved. It occurred to me that the best service I could perform on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this institution was to honor some of the people who had helped shape the District by letting you hear their voices. What follows is a small sampling of the wealth of words I discovered. I make no claim that it is comprehensive. I began by looking at some of the key events in our collective history and fi nding what people wrote at the time or what they could share looking back at their involvement. I followed as many leads as I could—names suggested by people at the District Offi ce and at each of the campuses—and I asked everyone which crucial events they thought had brought about the curious organizational culture that all of us—students, employees, policy makers—encounter when we come to xi INTRODUCTION the District.