Contra Costa College Chronology
1948-1959
- 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 Contra Costa Junior College, West Campus.
- 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.