A Pictorial History ^^fiiAmerica*s mS^^Puhlic .
fiommunitv College
JRobert E. Sterling
lOLIET
(gllegt^
Joliet Junior College celebrates its cen- tennial anniversary in 2001 and is proud to be recognized and honored as America’s oldest public community college in continu- ous existence. Indeed, the college enjoys a rich heritage of impacting and shaping the nation’s educational system. Dr. Robert E. Sterling, a JJC faculty member and depart- ment chair for more than thirty years, cap- tures the history of the college and its con- tribution to the community college move- ment in lively prose and hundreds of care- fully selected photographs.
Beginning as an experimental “postgrad- uate” high school program with six students in 1901, Sterling traces the development of the institution into one of the nation’s fore- most community colleges. The contribu- tions of J. Stanley Brown, Dr. William Rainey Harper, C. E. Spicer, and countless more are described and documented in this volume. The full sweep of JJC’s history is recounted here, from the founding and for- mative years in the early twentieth century to its present position poised at the thresh- old of a new millennium.
Joliet Junior College, 1901 to 2001: A Pictorial History of America’s Oldest Public Community College strikes an interesting balance between a traditional history full of thoughtful prose and a coffee table piece filled with striking photographs. In short, the book has meaty narrative for the serious scholar and fascinating images for those who believe that pictures open windows to the past and truly are “worth a thousand words.”
Dr. Sterling has a talent for bringing his- tory to life through pictures and print. He has authored four other pictorial histories and has developed the ability to weave nar- ration around pictures to tell a story.
Whether readers have enjoyed an affilia- tion with Joliet Junior College or simply wish to learn more about this historic insti- tution, they are sure to find this unique vol- ume a resource and treasure for years to come.
Cover design by Michael Bruner
ISBN 0-943963-81-8
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Dedicated to J. Stanley Brown, C. E. Spicer, Dr. William Rainey Harper, the 1900-1901 Joliet Township High School Board of Trustees, and early JJC faculty members for pioneering the community college movement in Joliet, Illinois. Their commitment to a quality experience for students, their perseverance during challenging times, and their dedication to democratizing higher education opened the doors to affordable and accessible college education and the priceless opportunity for lifelong learning.
These pioneer educators in Joliet, Illinois, transformed higher education in America, and people everywhere are forever in their debt.
Junior,
PUBLICATION STAFF:
Author; Robert E. Sterling Text Editors: Patrick Asher,
Patrick McGuire, Sharon Peck Project Editor; Robert E. Sterling Book Design: Diane Kramer Photo Editor: Michael Bruner Publisher: G. Bradley Publishing Sponsor: Joliet Junior College
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© Copyright 2001 by G. Bradley Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in ^
the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, i
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or othenwise without the prior per- “
mission of the publisher.
ISBN-0-943963-81 -8
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1901 TO 2001!
A Pictorial History of America's Oldest Pubuc Community College
Robert E. Sterling
Joliet Junior College, Illinois Community College District 525
Tabie of Contents
Foreword 5
Chapter 1. The Founding and Formative Years: 1893-1919 6
Chapter 2. Establishing a College Identity: 1919-1939 26
Chapter 3. Years of Challenge and Change: 1939-1967 52
Chapter 4. A New Home on Houbolt Road: 1967-2000 129
Chapter 5. Picture Us Now 205
Notes 230
Acknowledgements 234
Bibliography 235
Index 236
'To re Wo rh
One hundred years have passed since J. Stanley Brown started a post-secondary educational program at Joliet Township High School that was the based on a concept developed and nurtured by Dr. William Rainey Harper, then President of the University of Chicago. While it is doubtful that either man fully understood the magnitude of this new creation we now call the community college, it has evolved into a truly unique segment of American education. With some 1200 community and technical colleges scat- tered across the country, millions of students use them as their points of access to higher education and to career and technical programs.
We at Joliet Junior College are proud that our col- lege is the nation's oldest continuously operating com- munity college. I am pleased that Dr. Robert Sterling, a retired Joliet Junior College historian, department chair, and the superb author of several other pictorial history works, agreed to write Joliet Junior College, 1901 to 2001: A Pictorial History of America’s Oldest
Public Community College. The book captures the essence of the college as it grew from just six students into an institution that now serves close to eleven thousand credit students each year.
Dr. Sterling possesses a wonderful ability to weave narration around pictures in a manner that you feel as though you are experiencing the event or the exam- ined time period first hand. Anyone who has ever been affiliated with the college will be particularly pleased with his work and will enjoy the book for many years to come as it is shared with family and friends. I extend my compliments to Dr. Sterling for an exceptional job of writing and illustration.
J. D. Ross, President
Joliet Junior College
Board of T rustees, 200 1 . Seated: Student Trustee Rosa Salazar, Chair Eleanor McGuan-Boza. Standing: Robert J. Wunderlich, Vice Chair Richard Dystrup, Secretary Jeffrey A. May. Not Pictured: Susan Block, David R. Cryer, Marilyn Hertko.
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CHAPTER
I he 'Touncm^ am ^l~ormatL\/e "years
1S93 to 1919
g oliet Junior College, the oldest public community K college in the United States, is celebrating its cen- ^tennial in 2001. The two individuals most instru- mental in the formation of the college in Joliet and the beginning of the community college movement were J. Stanley Brown and Dr. William Rainey Harper. Brown was the superintendent of Joliet Township High School in 1901, and Harper was president of the University of Chicago. The setting was a spacious, new township high school building completed in 1901 and touted as one of the nation’s most exemplary secondary schools with a superior faculty, modem equipment, and ample space to accommodate students enrolled in college-level classes. Beginning with six “postgraduate” students in the arts and sciences and twenty-five students enrolled in a two-year normal academic program for elementary teachers, the junior college remained affiliated with the high school until 1967, when it became a separate Class I community college.
J. Stanley Brown came to Joliet in 1893 to serve as principal of Joliet High School.^ When he arrived, the nation’s economy was temporarily suffering the sluggish effects of the Depression of 1893. The new principal found that many of his students came from working class families and, if they finished high school, they probably would not go on to college. However, Brown understood the value of a college education and encouraged students to continue beyond their high school diploma. In a public speech, he stated that “since September, 1894, some continu- ous effort has been made to inspire pupils to continue their work in some higher institutions after graduat- ing here.”^ Unfortunately, the expense of leaving home and attending college was beyond the financial reach of many students. Brown placed so much value on college education, however, that he occasionally made personal loans to students to enable them to pursue a college degree.®
Under the leadership and influence of its new administrator, Joliet High School experienced a dra- matic growth in enrollment, as well as a significant improvement in the quality of instruction. The num- ber of students attending the school nearly tripled
between 1893 and 1901, increasing from 208 to 600.® Soon after his arrival. Brown began upgrading the curriculum, perhaps as early as 1894, to include courses with college-level content. He also encour- aged universities to award college credit or advanced standing to Joliet students who had taken these more rigorous courses in such subjects as physics, chem- istry, and mathematics.^ Responding to a letter from Brown, Professor Francis W. Kelsey of the University of Michigan wrote the following on June 2, 1896;
I am much pleased to learn that you have taken your students over more than the required preparatory work. If you will kindly give to those who come to the University of Michigan a certificate to the effect that the extra work has been well done, I will see that advanced credit is given for it.^
Two years later. Professor Joseph H. Drake visit- ed Joliet and later wrote to Brown that he was favor- ably impressed with the high school curriculum and confirmed that the University of Michigan was “glad to give some advanced credit for work done in this way.”® In 1901, J. Stanley Brown also stated that “our own great University of Illinois . . . admits our recommended graduates into the sophomore class without conditions and enables them to complete a four years’ course in three years.”“ It is abundantly clear that shortly after Brown became principal, stu- dents were able to earn college credit by taking “post- graduate” courses at Joliet High School. Thus, Brown not only encouraged his students to go on to college, but he made it possible for them to gain advanced standing in certain universities with which he had negotiated transfer agreements.
Another Joliet educator who was partially respon- sible for initiating college-level coursework in the local high school was the head of the Science Department, Chauncey E. Spicer. He not only taught some of the advanced science classes, but also served as Brown’s assistant. Spicer and Brown were different in many ways, but their administrative styles seemed to com- plement each other. Miss Elizabeth Barns, a longtime faculty member under Spicer and Brown, observed:
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Dr. Brown had the widest vision on education- al matters. He was not afraid of trying things.
He had a vision of the future. With C. E. Spicer, they made a perfect team. Mr. Spicer was a person who had a perfect genius for detail and he would take Dr. Brown’s vision and work it into a program. The two of them worked together very well.
Although Brown deserves considerable credit for starting the community college in Joliet, he sought no plaudits for the accomplishment, but deferred to his friend at the University of Chicago, President William Rainey Harper, as the true visionary and architect of the junior college. At the National Conference of Junior Colleges in 1920, in a presenta- tion on “The Growth and Development of Junior Colleges in the United States,” Brown modestly stat- ed that “Joliet takes no credit for it, but concedes it to the man of vision. Dr. William R. Harper, the first president of the University of Chicago.”^^
From its beginning in 1892, Harper divided his own university into the Academic College (freshmen and sophomores) and the University College (juniors and seniors). Four years later, the lower level Academic College was given a new name: “Junior College.”^^ It appears that Harper was actually pre- pared to drop the freshman and sophomore years altogether from the University of Chicago and to rely on small colleges and public high schools to cover the first two years of college. Harper believed that “the work of the freshman and sophomore years is only a continuation of the academy or high school work. It is a continuation, not only of the subject-matter stud- ied, but of the methods employed. It is not until the end of the sophomore year that university methods of instruction may be employed to advantage.”^^
Although Harper is often considered the “father of the junior college,” he was not the first educator to embrace the idea of separating freshman and sopho- more-level college work from the university experience; he was, however, in the unique position as the founder of a university to refine and implement the idea. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, American educa- tors had been comparing unfavorably the educational system in the United States with that of other coun- tries, especially Germany. In 1851, Henry R Tappan, who would become president of the University of Michigan the following year, suggested that American secondary schools should become more like the
Gymnasia in Germany by preparing students for the university’s true work of specialization and research. Likewise, in his 1869 inaugural address as president of the University of Minnesota, William Watts Folwell advocated the transfer to secondary schools of “those studies which now form the body of work for the first two years in our ordinary American colleges.” Folwell believed that freshman and sophomore college students were not mature enough to do university work. He fur- ther articulated this idea in a presentation at the 1875 meeting of the National Education Association: “The work of the first two years of the college is the work of the secondary school, and there it can be done most efficiently and economically. Turn this work over to the high school, and that institution has at once its func- tion, and the whole of it.”^®
The ideas of Tappan and Folwell and other early educators foreshadowed the work of William Rainey Harper at the University of Chicago. Harper was not only a man of vision but a person of action. Having differentiated between “junior college” and “senior college” work at his own institution. Harper began bringing high schools into the discussion of educa- tional reorganization. In order to promote dialogue and coordinated programming between his university and regional high schools, in November 1892 Harper began holding regular conferences in Chicago to which selected secondary schools were invited. These meetings eventually became known as “Conferences of the Affiliated and Cooperating Schools.” After his arrival in Joliet in 1893, Brown became an active participant in these meetings. In 1899, the University of Chicago approved Joliet High School as a cooperating school and began awarding students credit for advanced work that was certified by their high school teachers.^®
Brown and Harper had a lot in common and enjoyed a personal friendship. Both had been born in Ohio and had an association with the Baptist-based Denison University, Brown as a student and gradu- ate in 1889 and Harper as a faculty member from 1876 to 1879. Both were men of faith who were active in the Baptist denomination; they often met at Baptist conventions where they discussed education as well as religion. In fact. Brown’s son. Dr. Grant Brown, recalled that his father and Harper roomed together at a National Baptist Convention and talked long into the night about how to make the first two years of college available to promising high school
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students with limited financial resources/^
As important as J. Stanley Brown, William Rainey Harper, and C. E. Spicer were to the origin of Joliet Junior College, there would have been no col- lege in Joliet at the turn of the century if a new high school building had not been built. A recently enact- ed state law permitted the establishing of township high school districts, and on April 4, 1899, local vot- ers approved the creation of the Joliet Township High School District by a vote of 2,725 to 329. Two months later in a special election, voters overwhelmingly approved (1,446 to 1) a proposition to select and pur- chase a site and to erect a new township high school. These important decisions made possible the expan- sion of the high school’s existing postgraduate cours- es into a six-year high school program which included the first two years of college. The creation of the new township district in 1899 broadened the tax base suf- ficiently to fund the junior college in its infancy, and the building of a new high school in 1901 provided modern classrooms and laboratories for teaching freshman and sophomore-level college classes. The new Joliet Township High School Board of Trustees named J. Stanley Brown superintendent and sup- ported his efforts to use the new building to expand the postgraduate courses into well-defined one and two-year programs, which eventually became known as Joliet Junior College.^®
It is impossible to pinpoint the precise date when Joliet Junior College actually began. There was nei- ther a legal charter filed nor an official resolution passed to mark the beginning of the formal two-year college program in Joliet. Although 1901 has been commonly accepted by many researchers as the year of the college’s founding, others suggest 1902 as a more accurate date.^^ A few have even suggested that Joliet Junior College was not founded or established, but rather evolved from early postgraduate courses. Dr. Roosevelt Basler, for example, who served as superintendent of Joliet Township High School and Junior College from 1943 to 1945, stated;
Such expressions as ‘established,’ ‘formed,’ and ‘came into existence’ convey a wholly erroneous impression concerning the conditions at Joliet.
. . . The early beginnings of the Joliet Junior College were characterized by a slow, gradual, and evolutionary growth. In truth the college evolved - it was not ‘established,’ ‘formed,’ or begun at any particular date.^^
A 1919 survey of junior colleges conducted by | President Monroe Stowe of the University of Toledo i in cooperation with the U. S. Bureau of Education similarly concluded that “Joliet Junior College seems to resemble Topsy, in that it has just grown.”^^
It is true that students at the high school had been taking advanced classes for college credit since the mid- 1890s and that the number of classes accept- ed for advanced standing had been steadily growing.
In fact, when the new township high school was dedi- cated, J. Stanley Brown informed his listeners that students had been successfully entering the University of Illinois as sophomores by taking appro- priate freshman-level courses at the high school.^® It appears, however, that Brown both expanded and organized these postgraduate classes into a coherent two-year program by the beginning of the second semester in January 1901. On December 4, 1900, Brown reported to the School Board that “five post- graduate students had been entered.” He revised i this a month later on January 7, 1901, when he reported “the enrollment of one additional post-grad- uate student” who would enter on February 1.^® |
These references to “entering” postgraduate stu- | dents appear to suggest that the students were enter- I ing a specific program of study, not simply taking a variety of loosely related postgraduate classes as had j been the case in the past. Students at the high I school had been taking advanced classes for college I credit for several years, but this is the first such ' announcement by Superintendent Brown to the j School Board regarding the enrollment of postgradu- ate students. Something had apparently changed; namely, a small group of high school graduates had i enrolled in a two-year, college-level arts and science j program. Some twenty years later at a meeting of the National Conference of Junior Colleges, J. Stanley Brown stated that “a junior college was start- ed at Joliet with five or six students. . . . The develop- ment at Joliet was slow at first, but it was continu- ous, and it did not stop for a moment.”^^ This com- ment by Brown suggests, first, that he believed the college had, indeed, been “started” and, second, that it began with the six postgraduate students who entered in the spring semester of 1901.
Another two-year program, a normal course for training elementary teachers, was started eight ! months later in the fall semester of 1901. ;
Superintendent Brown outlined the course require-
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merits at a July Board meeting and in September informed the Board that twenty-five students were enrolled in the program.^® Brown had long been interested in teacher training and had served as president of a normal school in Oregon before coming to Joliet. Also, when he left Joliet, Brown assumed the presidency of Northern Illinois Normal School, now known as Northern Illinois University. Prior to the introduction of the normal course in 1901, teach- ers could become certified to teach simply by passing a county examination, even without a high school diploma. Joliet grade schools, however, were becom- ing more selective, and people who had both a diplo- ma and normal school training were more likely to find teaching positions than those without.
By the fall of 1902, the two postgraduate pro- grams were growing; school records indicate that twenty-two students were enrolled in the postgradu- ate arts and science program alone. As a matter of clarification as well as a statement of school policy, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution on December 3, 1902, stating that “graduates of the High School may take Post Graduate Work without j any additional cost.” Township taxpayers were, thus, fully funding the first two years of college for a grow- ing number of Joliet Township High School gradu- ates. This decision was made quietly by Brown and his Board without any public fanfare or front page stories in the local press.^®
J. Stanley Brown’s stature as a respected educator continued to grow when he was appointed by William Rainey Harper in the fall of 1902 to chair an impor- tant committee established at the annual Conference of Affiliated and Cooperating Schools. The general theme of the conference was educational reorganiza- tion. Harper framed the subject in the form of four propositions, the second of which was “to extend the work of the secondary school to include the first two years of college work.” He then appointed three com- mittees of seven members each to study the matter of school reorganization from the perspective of the ele- mentary school, the secondary school, and the college, respectively. The members of these three committees were known collectively as the Committee of Twenty- One. Not surprisingly. Harper appointed his friend J. Stanley Brown, superintendent of a nearby high school with an extended six-year program already in place, to chair the committee examining reorganiza- tion from the viewpoint of the secondary school.®®
The three committees presented their reports the following year at the general conference in November 1903 where the subject of school reorganization was thoroughly discussed. Brown submitted a very favor- able report from his committee, heartily endorsing Harper’s ideas. He mentioned that in the past five years, high schools had been improving their curricu- la and that some had “increased the work to five or six years.” Although he made no direct reference to his own high school in Joliet, he did state that “these movements have gone on, are going on, without any blare of trumpet.” Brown made it clear that despite the reservations and dissenting opinions voiced by a few committee members, the conference attendees were not debating some futuristic idea, but rather an educational plan already in existence. In fact, the suggested program of required and elective course- work for the extended fifth and sixth years of high school presented by Brown to the conference almost mirrored the program then in place at Joliet Township High School. In his report. Brown also dis- cussed some of the practical benefits of adding the first two years of college to secondary schools, argu- ments still made today, one hundred years later, in support of community college education. Some high school graduates cannot go away to college for finan- cial reasons, said Brown, and others should not go away because they need “close magisterial and parental supervision.”®^
Although William Rainey Harper influenced — and perhaps inspired — J. Stanley Brown, there is no evi- dence that Harper played a direct role in establishing America’s oldest community college in Joliet. Harper and his staff certainly did not use a “‘hard-sell’ approach” in persuading the local School Board to establish a junior college, as one educator has sug- gested.®® Rather, Brown and his assistant, C. E. Spicer, appear to have been the prime movers in the creation of the college. Although Harper lived less than fifty miles away, he neither visited Joliet nor offered any personal assistance in shaping Board pol- icy or public opinion with respect to the high school’s postgraduate program. In fact. Harper’s correspon- dence files contain no indication that he directly assisted or personally advised Brown during the criti- cal years of the college’s infancy.
C. E. Spicer enjoyed an excellent vantage point for commenting on William Rainey Harper’s role in founding Joliet Junior College. Spicer came to Joliet
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in 1891, two years before Brown arrived, and remained until 1937, eighteen years after Brown’s departure. He developed and taught the earliest postgraduate courses in physics and chemistry, chaired the Science Department, and served as Brown’s assistant at both the old school and the new Joliet Township High School. Spicer was so highly regarded by the Board of Trustees that he was twice offered the position of superintendent. He refused both times, preferring instead to remain in the class- room during the school year and to spend the sum- mer months in northern Michigan at the family cot- tage in the resort town of Frankfort.^® As to the ori- gin and early development of the junior college, it was Spicer’s view that
Dr. Harper’s contribution to the establishment of our junior college came after, and not before, the fundamental courses therein had been function- ing. What we then needed was recognition from established colleges, without which we could not have survived. He and members of his faculty heartily endorsed our efforts. . .. Many other colleges also granted us such credits, but none perhaps so willingly as did the University of Chicago. Some seemed to think that we were trespassing on their territory. . . . Probably our effort would have failed of success had we not received his ‘recognition,’ and, too, we would have failed, had not our efforts successfully responded to an economic community need.^^
In commenting on the origin of the junior college in Joliet, Spicer underscored the importance from the very beginning of the college meeting the communi- ty’s economic needs. He recognized that not all post- graduate students would transfer to a university to complete their college degrees. Some students lacked the ability, interest, resources, or parental support to continue beyond the lower-level college courses offered at the high school. For them, however, there were jobs available in the ranks of middle manage- ment in the many businesses and smokestack indus- tries in and around Joliet. Although the early one- and two-year college programs were steeped in the arts and sciences and included no technical training, there were, nonetheless, mid-level employment opportunities available in the local economy for peo- ple with some college education.
Postgraduate courses in physics, chemistry, and surveying were sometimes taken selectively by
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employees or prospective employees of local business | and industry. Spicer considered these courses to be the “nucleus from which the junior college grew. They were the ones that could be made immediately remunerative to students .... Of the three, chem- istry was the one that furnished the largest amount of employment.”®^ Although Spicer believed that the college’s early success was due, in part, to its ability to meet an economic need in the Joliet community, it is clear that the predominant purpose of the college program in these early years was to meet the needs of students transferring into baccalaureate programs at senior institutions. However, the school did meet the vocational needs of Joliet’s industrial society through a variety of lower-level courses taught in the high school evening program, which began in 1912.®® Although Superintendent Brown spent countless hours negotiating transfer credits for college-bound students, there is no evidence that he ever met with local business leaders to determine whether post- graduate courses were providing students with skills appropriate for the workplace. All such efforts to tai- lor college courses to meet the needs of the business community would happen later in the school’s history.
During its formative years, the college-level pro- gram enjoyed the full support of the High School Board of Trustees, five respected community leaders with progressive views on the importance of quality education. They seemed willing to follow Superintendent Brown’s lead both in erecting a state- of-the-art school building and in extending the high school program to include the first two years of col- lege. Like Brown, they quietly made momentous decisions without seeking headlines or public acclaim. In fact. Board minutes reflect very little mention of the postgraduate program, except for an occasional reference by Brown to enrollment data.
Although J. Stanley Brown often spoke at profes- sional conferences out of town and wrote articles in educational journals about the junior college in Joliet, neither he nor his Board of Trustees publicized the college in the local media. One searches Joliet news- papers in vain for either college advertising or feature stories on early college activities. There appears to have been a conscious effort by school officials to per- mit the college program to develop slowly, unaided — or perhaps unhindered — ^by local public promotion.
Brown was well aware of the potential adverse reaction by taxpayers to the use of local high school
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funds to support college-level education. At a 1903 conference where Brown was a presenter, a professor from the University of Michigan asserted, “I do not believe there is a board of education in Michigan that would incur such a risk.”®® A 1906 editorial in the School Review sounded a similar note, suggesting that “public high schools are likely to encounter con- siderable difficulty in doing this because of the increased cost involved for necessary equipment and teaching staff.”^® Ira D. Yaggy, a contemporary observer who served on Brown’s first postgraduate advisory committee and later became the first dean of the junior college, affirmed that the low-keyed approach was purposely taken because “Dr. Brown was very much afraid that the taxpayers might object to using high school funds for college work if it were publicized too much.”^^
Sometimes overlooked by historians and researchers in their analyses of Joliet Junior College and the reasons why it survived to become the nation’s oldest public community college are the suc- cess stories of the early postgraduate students. Many of them not only went on to earn college degrees, but they returned to Joliet and made significant contribu- tions to the community. They became successful teachers, doctors, business people, and community leaders, bearing daily witness to the quality of the institution and the importance of supporting it.
Superintendent Brown took a special interest in his postgraduate students and for several years served as their personal advisor. He spent many hours articulating the postgraduate courses with col- leges and universities and developing a list of classes approved for transfer credit by these senior institu- tions. Brown addressed the problem in his report, “Present Development of Secondary Schools According to the Proposed Plan,” presented at the fall 1904 conference at the University of Chicago. He said that students taking advanced work in high school were “continually asking: ‘How much credit shall I receive for this when I enter college?”’ Noting the perplexity of the problem. Brown advocated the development of a common standard. Citing his own experience in Joliet, he stated that various colleges and universities were awarding credit for postgradu- ate courses in history, literature, science, mathemat- ics, and foreign language, “but at no institution of the higher order have all these subjects been accredit- ed.”^^ The task of advising students to ensure a
smooth transfer with no loss of credit was, indeed, time-consuming. In 1912, Brown appointed a com- mittee of three faculty members to advise postgradu- ate students. Four years later the advisors became known as the Junior College Committee."*®
Although few records exist from the early phase of the formative years, it appears that the postgradu- ate students of the early twentieth century were sim- ilar, in many ways, to college students today. Outside the classroom, they enjoyed a variety of physical, social, and cultural activities and established mean- ingful and memorable traditions. In an article on the “Evolution of the Joliet Junior College,” Thomas M. Deam, Assistant Superintendent of Joliet Township High School, remarked that until 1914 the “‘post- graduate’ department of the high school was estab- lishing itself and building up traditions necessary to crystallize itself into a recognized unit.”^^
An early issue of the Joliet Township High School Bulletin, devoted exclusively to the history of the junior college, observed that the postgraduates of 1905-1906 already possessed a “group conscious [ness]” as they “presented plays, participat- ed in athletics, held banquets, and recorded their ‘deeds’ in the high school annual.” The publication went on to note that “these extra-curricular activities were without question a factor of considerable impor- tance in the growth of the junior college.” A Joliet high school teacher, who had been a postgraduate student in 1909, wrote in the same Bulletin that the early postgraduate students “enjoyed much of the spirit of the present J. J.C.”*®
Athletic activities were also important in develop- ing a cohesiveness among postgraduate students, both men and women. Some of the earliest pictures in the brief postgraduate section of the high school yearbooks are photographs of athletic teams. Competition was limited, at first, to other teams within the high school and postgraduate program. In 1916, however, the “Little Six” basketball conference was organized, and in January 1917 the Joliet squad began playing teams from Crane, De Paul, Lane, Lewis, and Wheaton. This is apparently when the school colors purple and white were selected. Under “Junior College Notes” in the 1917 issue of The J, the writer expressed confidence that “at the end of the season the boys wearing purple and white will emerge victorious.”^^
In 1916, postgraduate students at Joliet Township High School shed the image and aura of
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being advanced high school students; they came to be known thereafter as “collegians” and their school as “Joliet Junior College.” Superintendent Brown and members of the advisory committee met with the postgraduate students at the beginning of the 1916 school year and “nearly every remark that was made emphasized the fact the students present were . . . Collegians.”^^ In the fall issue of The J, under the subheading “The Passing of the P. G.,” Edna O. Knowlton noted the change:
The scientific world has been lately electrified by the sudden disappearance of a species long familiar, and the appearance, in the stead thereof, of an entirely new type. I refer to the case of the P. G. . . . Its place has been taken by the Collegian, a new form, possessed of all the traits necessary for a successful animal . .
The transformation from postgraduate to colle- gian occurred just after the college program had sur- vived its only real threat during the formative period. The president of the School Board announced in 1915 that increasing high school and college enrollments had created a pressing need for more classrooms. One of the suggestions offered by a Board member to resolve the problem of space was “the non-admission of postgraduates.”®” If austere measures were neces- sary, the college program was apparently one of the frills that might be cut. Fortunately, however, the Board decided instead to rent space temporarily in nearby churches and to support a building program. Voters approved the expansion plan in 1916, and when the new addition was finished in 1917, it was known as the junior college division. Not only had the PGs (postgraduates) become collegians, but they now had a section of the building designated primari- ly for their use. They had their own entrance, their own classrooms, and their own assembly room; they were also permitted to move throughout the new col- lege addition without securing hall passes. This “new era of independence” made the junior college even more attractive to graduating high school seniors.®^ During the latter stage of the college’s formative period, several other significant developments occurred. In 1917, Brown worked with the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools to secure accreditation for Joliet Junior College.®^ In the same year, the State Examining Board approved JJC’s normal school credits for certi- fication without examination; this meant that stu-
dents who completed the college’s two-year teacher . training program would receive teaching certificates j without taking the county exam. Then, after success- fully teaching for one year, they could upgrade their certificate with the approval of the county superin- tendent.®® The following year, in 1918, Joliet Junior : College held its first formal graduation ceremony, with Superintendent J. Stanley Brown proudly awarding diplomas to twenty-one students.
These landmark developments of 1917-1918 were I tempered, however, by World War I and its impact on the college. In the “Junior College Notes” of The J in October 1918, it was pointed out that almost all of the male students had “heeded the patriotic call” by enrolling in the S.A.T.C. (Student Army Training Corps) and would soon be leaving for training camps at several different colleges and universities. Five female students also responded to the wartime need by enter- ing nurses’ training hospitals. Those who remained in “Dr. Brown’s Seminary for Young Women,” it was noted, ; would have more time for “intensive work.” However, i they, too, got involved in the war effort by selling War i Savings Stamps, volunteering with the Red Cross, and ; assisting at the registration board.®^ [
The end of an era came in 1919 when J. Stanley 1 Brown submitted his resignation. There had been
I
growing criticism regarding the cost of operating the high school, especially administrative costs. The local newspaper carried a front-page story by columnist | Jack Thorne questioning the school’s comparatively ! high tax rate. Interestingly, there was no mention made of the junior college and its free tuition for all graduates of Joliet Township High School. Four days later, the same newspaper informed its readers that | the School Board had granted Brown a month’s leave j to undertake an assignment in Washington, D. C.®® j Then, a few days later at the May 20 Board meeting,
J. Stanley Brown presented his “conditional resigna- tion,” to take effect August 1.®® Although it was rumored that he had been offered the presidency of Northern Illinois Normal School in DeKalb, Brown went to the nation’s capital to direct the Treasury Department’s Thrift and Savings Campaign. While in Washington, Brown sent his official resignation to the Board, which was accepted on July 11. Following a ! short stint in Washington, Brown did indeed accept i the presidency at Northern, where he remained from 1919 to 1927.®^
Although J. Stanley Brown departed Joliet Junior ,
12
College under a cloud of criticism, he left behind an impressive record of achievement. Under his leader- ship, an imposing new township high school had been built that rivaled many small colleges in size and amenities. Today, 100 years later, the building still serves Joliet students as one of two high school cam- puses, an enduring testament to the quality and durability of the structure. One can only wonder how many other high schools built at the turn of the cen- tury have crumbled in disrepair or disappeared from the cityscape. Brown’s most significant legacy, how- ever, was the role he played in introducing postgradu- ate courses at the high school in the mid-1890s, expanding and organizing them into a two-year pro- gram in 1901, quietly nurturing and shaping this educational innovation during its formative period, and working with North Central Association to achieve accreditation for Joliet Junior College in 1917. When Brown left Joliet in 1919, few, if any, paid tribute to his accomplishments or celebrated his tremendous achievement in giving form and sub- stance to William Rainey Harper’s educational vision. Joliet Junior College served as a model to educators and legislators throughout the nation as they began developing community colleges.
J. Stanley Brown retired in 1927, after serving eight years as president of Northern Illinois Normal School. He now had more time for his family and enjoyed long visits with his three sons, including Grant, who lived in Joliet. He also looked forward to relaxing at Grant’s summer home in Frankfort, Michigan. This visionary educator died in September 1939 while vacationing there; he was brought back to Joliet for burial in Oakwood Cemetery.®® Once again, local leaders failed to pay tribute to Brown’s signifi- cant and historic role in launching the community college movement in the United States. Today, in 2001, J. Stanley Brown casts a much longer shadow over the sweep of educational history than he did at his passing in 1939. From the vantage point of one hundred years, especially looking back over the dra- matic growth of community colleges in recent decades, educators and historians are perhaps in a much better position today to recognize and appreci- ate the pioneer work of J. Stanley Brown.
J. Stanley Brown was originally from Ohio, where he had graduat- ed from Denison University in 1889 at the age of twenty-six with an A.B. degree in classical languages. Prior to his appointment in Joliet, he had been a department chair and instructor of Latin and Greek at Blandville College in Kentucky and president of Arlington College in the same state. His career path then took him to the Northwest, where he served for one year as president of a state normal school in Oregon. During his early years as both a student and an educator. Brown developed an understanding of the plight of students who possessed the ability but lacked the resources to attend college. Following his own graduation from high school. Brown had to work for three years as a rural school teacher in order to save enough money to attend Denison.^
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Tke College Community — Joliet in 1S93
Located forty miles southwest of Chicago, Joliet was an important transportation and industrial cen- ter in northern Illinois. Both the Des Plaines River and the Illinois and Michigan Canal provided the city with the means of transporting people and products
by water. In the 1880s, however, the river and canal were eclipsed by rails and steam. Joliet’s railroad network extended in all directions and included the Rock Island, Chicago and Alton, Santa Fe, Michigan Central, and Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroads.
Looking north on Chicago Street from the Jefferson Street inter- section in 1895, this is how the business district looked when J. Stanley Brown began his administrative duties at Joliet High School. The principal modes of transportation were bicycles, horse-drawn
carriages, and the streetcar. The high curbs, rough roads sprinkled with horse pollution, and unsightly rows of utility poles are visual reminders of the late nineteenth century cityscape.
This view of the Des Plaines River in 1895 shows the old stone bridge at Jefferson Street. The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran through Joliet on the west side of the river. The upper gate of the guard lock on the I &
M Canal can be seen at the west end (right side) of the bridge. Hidden behind the clump of trees are the locktender’s house and the lower basin.
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From a town of about 2,500 people in 1850, Joliet had grown into a city of some 23,000 in 1890 and 30,000 in 1900. Not only had the city’s population increased substantially by the turn of the century, but it also had become more ethnically diverse. Newcomers
to the region were attracted primarily by job opportuni- ties in Joliet’s limestone quarries, its steel mill and related industries, and the EJ&E Railroad.'’
3 s
With Van Buren Street in the foreground and Jefferson Street beyond, this rooftop photograph provides an expansive view of the maze of railroad tracks in the downtown area. Indeed, several major carriers pro- vided Joliet with freight and passenger service. With so many rail lines converging and crossing city streets, it is not surprising that local leaders pressed the railroads to relocate and elevate their tracks, an immense project undertaken in 1908.
Often called the “City of Stone,” Joliet rests on a thick bed of lime- stone, which gave rise to a thriv- ing quarry industry in the latter part of the nineteenth century.
I By 1 890, twenty-five stone com- I panies, including the one pictured here, employed some 1 ,500 peo- ple and did $1.5 million in busi- ness annually. Joliet limestone was used to build local houses, churches, schools, stores, facto- ries, and the state prison. It was also shipped by water and rail throughout the Middle West for use in building such structures as the state capitol buildings in Illinois and Michigan, the Lincoln Monument in Springfield, the Rock Island Arsenal, and numer- ous county jails and courthouses.
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Also known as the “City of Steel,” Joliet was a major steel-producing center for many years. The original plant had two blast furnaces for reducing iron ore into pig iron, often called crude iron. In the mid- 1 870s, Bessemer converters were installed to produce high quality steel. The Joliet plant was a primary supplier of steel rails for companies extending rail- road service into western states and ter- ritories. When J. Stanley Brown came to Joliet in 1893, the steel mill was the community’s largest employer, boasting a payroll of some 2,000 people.
The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E) ran from Waukegan, Illinois to northern Indiana in a 1 30-mile arc around the city of Chicago at a distance of about 40 miles from the downtown area. The railroad provided freight service for industrial customers in the area, but it also offered other lines an interchanging or bridging service to avoid the traffic and congestion of Chicago. “Around Chicago - Not Through It” was an advertising slogan of the EJ&E
Railway. Here a group of employees gathered to pose for a pic- ture on Engine 589. In many ways, the labor force at both the steel mill and the EJ&E Railway resembled an ethnic “salad bowl,” a mix of various nationalities that came to the Joliet area looking for economic well-being and social acceptance. J. Stanley Brown found that many of his students at Joliet High School were first or sec- ond-generation Americans.
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OLh JoUet dii^h dchooL
By 1 899, the old Joliet High School had become so crowded that hallways and closets were being used for classrooms. When a representative from the University of Michigan visited Joliet in 1898 to evaluate post- graduate courses for transfer credit, he remarked on these condi- tions in a follow-up letter to Brown: “The school as a whole made a favor- able impression on both Dr. Reed and myself, tho’ we both felt you were carrying a heavy handicap in having to work in such an unsuitable building.”'®
^r. ^WdUam d^aine^ diarl>er
I Born in Ohio in 1856 of Scotch-lrish parents, William
Rainey Harper entered Muskingum College at age ten.
I He graduated at fourteen years of age and presented a
I speech in Hebrew as part of the graduation ceremony.
' Too young by his parent’s standards to be sent off to
graduate school, he worked in his father’s store,
taught a college course in Hebrew, and organized a
community band during the next few years. At age
] seventeen he entered Yale as a graduate student and
i received his Ph.D. before his nineteenth birthday.
I During the next several years. Harper pur-
j sued a career in teaching that took him to colleges
j in Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois. He became
known as a gifted scholar, teacher, and administra-
1 tor, and in 1886 Yale offered the thirty-year-old
I Harper an endowed professorship. Five years
I later, he was lured away from Yale by the offer of
the presidency of the University of Chicago. With
I the financial backing of John D. Rockefeller,
! Harper had nearly a free hand in building this new university.
; As president of the University of Chicago, Dr. Harper began
i implementing and promoting an educational plan that included the
I concept that the primary responsibilities of a university are special-
i ization and research and that the first two years of college are
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essentially preparatory. Other college educators had earlier espoused this view, but Harper was in the ideal position to imple- ment it. The idea that high schools could offer their graduating seniors lower-level college work eventually found acceptance among secondary school educators like J. Stanley Brown in Joliet.
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Joliet JoWnshif) Jii^h School, 1901 - 'The "Tribe of Joliet ^
At the dedication of the new Joliet Township High School building on April 4, 1901, each speaker lavishly praised the design and durability of the structure. Board member Henry Leach described the imposing new structure as a “lasting monument to the progres- sive spirit of a wide-awake community.” He went on to prophetically suggest that the building would be “stand- ing in excellent condition one hundred years hence.” The architect who designed the school, F. S. Allen, char- acterized its general style as Gothic but with a flat roof At a total cost of $220,382 for both the property and fur-
nished building, the School Board had spared no expense in providing Joliet Township students with the | most modern high school imaginable. Edward S. ] Draper, President of the University of Illinois, was ; applauded heartily when he described the structure as ; “the finest high school building in America.”^®
Built of Joliet limestone with Bedford trim, the new building had eighty-seven rooms. The hallway ! floors and wainscoting, as well as the stair treads, | were made of Vermont marble accented with darker | Tennessee marble. The classroom floors were con- i
Facing Jefferson Street to the south and bounded by Eastern Avenue on the west and Herkimer Street on the east, Joliet Township High School (pictured below) was one of the finest school buildings in America at the turn of the century. In this view of the school from the southwest, the Eastern Avenue Baptist Church can be seen on the left, beyond the utility pole and the Porter Brewery delivery wagon. The new building was frequently visited by architects, school board members, and college represen- tatives looking for ideas in school design and construction.
The outer office pictured in the photo on the left served as both a faculty room and administrative reception area. Just outside Superintendent J. Stanley Brown’s office was a small switchboard that operated the school telephones; the city telephone can be seen nearby hanging on the wall. Also, located here in the outer office was the master clock that controlled all of the clocks and bells in the school.
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structed of maple, while the doors and entrances were crafted of oak by a Swiss wood carver. Special care had been taken to install the most modern heating I and ventilation systems. The switchboard in the cen- tral office provided telephone contact between the superintendent and teachers in forty different rooms. A master clock regulated all the secondary clocks throughout the building and also could be pro- grammed to ring bells that signaled the end of class periods. C. E. Spicer, head of the Science Department, was especially proud of the science laboratories, the
quality of which surpassed labs found in most small colleges across America. The new high school even had an assembly hall that seated fifteen hundred peo- ple, nearly three times more than the school’s enroll- ment in 1901. Judge A. O. Marshall, President of the School Board, captured the feeling of those at the ded- ication ceremony when he described the new township high school as “the pride of Joliet and a monument to the liberality and enterprise of its people.”^'
The physiography laboratory con- tained the latest maps, globes, charts, and other materials neces- sary for the study of physical geogra- phy. The demonstration table in the front of the room was equipped with gas, water, electricity, steam, and compressed air.
Four rooms, including the lab pictured here, were devoted to the study of physics. At each of the eight heavy oak tables were four student worksta- tions furnished with lockers, adjustable supports, gas, and electric current. The teacher’s fully- equipped demonstration table was positioned at the front of the room. Along some of the walls were stone shelves supported by the exterior walls of the building; these provided a stable support for the lab’s delicate instruments. Also, permanently installed on the walls were adjustable pendulum supports. Another feature of the room was an arc light in a brass case with adjustable focusing lenses that could be used in experiments with light. C. E. Spicer taught some of the earliest college-level courses in this laboratory.
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The chemistry department had three rooms, namely a lecture room, classroom, and the labora- tory pictured here. This lab could accommodate thirty-two students, eight at each of the four tables. Built of oak with plate glass tops, the tables provided students with pneumatic troughs, hoods, bottle racks, gas, water, electricity, and drawers and lockers for personal storage. The chemistry lab was the envy of visiting science teach- ers who toured the new building.
Students were exposed to a vari- ety of artwork throughout the building, including the piece seen here. The high school class of 1 90 1 donated as a memorial this copy of the well-known statue “The Wrestlers.” Located on the landing near the main stairway, the art piece attracted the attention of students and visitors alike.
Following the example of the building’s first graduating class, other classes like' wise raised money and presented their own memorials to the school which included such gifts as paintings of old Joliet, a stage curtain, a copy of the Parthenon frieze, and statues or busts of Washington, Lincoln, and Louis Jolliet.
Many future teachers in the normal course did their student teaching at the small- est public school in Joliet, Irving School on South Richards Street. The principal was the only full-time employ- ee in this two-room building, which housed only the first and sec- ond grades. Under the principal’s supervi- sion, eight students did their practice teaching at the school each semester, four in the morning and four in the afternoon, with two student teachers assigned to each grade. The children who attended Irving School came primarily from the Salem Orphan’s Home.
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r
A FIVE-YEAR COURSE
First Year - Latin, Algebra, Greek and Roman History or Physiography, English.
Second Year - Latin, Plane Geometry, Mediaeval and Modern History or Botony, English.
Third Year - Latin, Advanced Algebra and Solid Geometry, English History, Physics, Literature.
Fourth Year - Latin, American History, Literature, Chemistry or Plane Trigonometry and College Algebra.
Fifth Year - Latin, German or French, Literature, Advanced Physics, Geology and Astronomy.
A SIX-YEAR COURSE
First Year - Latin, Physiography, Arithmetic, Greek and Roman History, English, Algebra.
Second Year - Latin, Botany, Mediaeval and Modern History, Drawing, English, Plane Geometry.
Third Year - Latin, Advanced Algebra, Solid Geometry, German, French or Spanish, English History, Literature, Physics.
Fourth Year - Latin, Plane Trigonometry and College Algebra, German, French or Spanish, American History, Literature, Chemistry.
Fifth Year - Latin, Literature, German, French or Spanish, Analytic Chemistry, Spherical Trigonometry and Advanced Botany, Zoology and Physiology.
Sixth Year - Latin or Literature, Analytic Geometry and Advanced Physics, Geology and Astronomy, Political Economy, Science of Government and Psychology, German, French or Spanish.”
Two of the best-known early students whose postgraduate credits permitted them to finish their uni- versity degrees in three years were Elizabeth Barns and Harry J. Atkinson. Both graduated from Joliet Township High School in 1902 and later returned to teach in the high school and junior college.
Upon her graduation from Northwestern University in 1 905, Barns began a 43-year teaching career in
Joliet. She was chair of the Social Science Depart- ment when she retired in 1 948. Atkinson graduat- ed from the University of Illinois and in 1 907 joined the faculty of Joliet Township High School. He was one of three faculty members who left Joliet during World War I to serve in the military. Atkinson returned to teach a variety of high school and college math classes; at his retirement in 1 948 he was assistant superin- tendent
In the center photo Harry Atkinson and Elizabeth Barns were honored in 1976 at a Joliet Junior College alumni banquet.
SPI
MR
ASST
C. E. Spicer played a key role in the founding and early development of Joliet Junior College. As Superintendent J. Stanley Brown’s assistant, Spicer was heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the school. In addition to teaching courses in physics and chemistry, he assisted Brown in implementing the postgraduate courses, which became the nucleus of the two-year college program. Spicer could be very stern when disciplining students and was known, on occasion, to lean over close to an unruly male and reprimand him while squeezing the boy’s thigh with his vise-like grip. A combination of Spicer’s demeanor and his powerful grip caused even the most disobedient culprit to leave the office with a vow of good behavior.
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In 1912, J. Stanley Brown appointed Ira D. Yaggy, Virgil Lohr, and Celia Drew to serve on the first postgraduate advi- sory committee. The three advisors became known as the Junior College Committee in 1916. Yaggy remained on the committee until 1926, when he became the first dean of the junior college, a position he held until his retirement in 1947.
In 1907, the play David Garrick was presented by the high school Alumni Association to help raise money for a bust of Louis Jolliet to be placed over the south entrance of the new high school building. The cast was composed largely of postgraduate students who were enthusiastically applauded by a packed house. Most notably, “the appearance of Squire Chivy, when intoxicated, took the house by storm.” The production was also a financial success with enough money being raised to com- plete the statue project. Postgraduates could point with pride to the likeness of the city’s namesake over the school’s main entrance, know- ing they had played a significant role in funding the project.''*
Helen Schroeder
Hu^h OarHon Robert Laraway
Palma (JrosH Lafayette Stocker William Miller Lucille Norton Russell Bigelow
Leonard Kr<*dricks
(Jeorjje Wei
i'
David Garrick” Given by the Post-Graduates in 1907
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The gymnasium was located in a separate building a block-and-a-half south of the high school on Richards Street. Physical training classes for both men and women were held during nine periods of the day, while after- noons and evenings were devoted to team practices and games. The gym’s balcony could seat about four hundred spectators. Nearby there were two tennis courts and an athletic field for the outdoor sports of football, baseball, and track.
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ij
The 1909 women’s postgraduate basketball team won the school championship by defeating the high school seniors 12 to 5. The PGs practiced for weeks in prepara- tion for the contest and proudly wore their white uniforms as pictured here. Some members of the team had been playing together since their freshman year in high school. Front Row: Wilcox and Cowing. Back Row: Sackett, Mason, and Kelly.
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•1
The 1917 addition to the high school increased the size of the building by about one-half.
Added to the north side of the building along Herkimer Street, the new section was known as the “college divi- sion.” The two photographs show the appearance of the east side of the building before and after the addition. On June 17, 1918, an open house was held with students conducting special demonstrations in classrooms and lab- oratories throughout the building. Guides were available to point out the new addition’s distinctive features, which included paintings and statuary in corridors and rooms.
The new addition to the building in 1917 made it possible for the junior college to have its own assembly room pictured here. The shelves on the left wall held several hundred books, the nucleus of a collection that would soon become a separate college library. Although having their own space was an important step in creating a college atmosphere, students wanted even more of a college environment. For example, some wondered why their assembly room was furnished with long rows of fixed desks instead of tables and chairs.
Original Building
|
h k mm |
|
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Custodians took special pride in keeping the building looking new. They are pictured here posing with feather dusters and brooms.
When J. Stanley Brown resigned in 1919, he left behind an impressive legacy of accomplishments. The new township high school was a tangible testament to his leadership as a builder, and the junior college pro- gram was an educational innovation that forever changed the character of higher education in America. For twenty-six years. Brown had been a familiar sight, working in his office at a rolltop desk.
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During World War I, female students at JJC volunteered in a number of war- related organizations and activities including the Red Cross. Pictured here in a patriotic parade in September 1917 are Red Cross workers collecting money. Bystanders can be seen toss- ing money onto an outstretched bed sheet carried by volunteers in long white dresses with bright red sashes.
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CHAPTER S
^stabiLshLn^ a College Tbentit^
1919 to 1939
C* E. Spicer was vacationing at his summer home in Frankfort, Michigan, when he 4 learned that J. Stanley Brown had resigned as superintendent of Joliet Township High School and Junior College. The School Board offered the position to Spicer, who had ably served as Brown’s assistant for the past twenty-six years. Even though a substantial salary increase accompanied the offer, Spicer declined. He was unwilling to give up teach- ing his science classes, chairing the Science Department, and spending his summer months in northern Michigan. Assistant Principal Ralph Bush also refused the superintendent’s position. He, too, remained at the school as an administrator and histo- ry teacher until 1927 when he left to become a junior college dean in Long Beach, California.^
By the time Brown’s resignation became effective on August 1, 1919, Dr. L. W. Smith was hired to fill the vacancy. Smith’s experience as an undergraduate stu- dent was strikingly similar to that of his predecessor. Like Brown, Smith was from Ohio with a bachelor’s degree from Denison University. And like Brown, he had found it necessary to work his way through col- lege, thereby gaining an appreciation of affordable col- lege education. Smith later continued his studies at the University of Chicago where he earned both a mas- ter’s degree and a doctorate. Prior to accepting the Joliet position, he had been a teacher in three states, a school principal in Kankakee, Illinois, and most recently had served for eleven years as superintendent of Thornton Township High School in nearby Harvey, Illinois. While at Thornton, Smith gained notice for introducing vocational shop programs and agriculture into the school curriculum. Indeed, he was recognized throughout the state as an outstanding educator and was selected to serve as the first president of the Illinois High School Principals’ Association. He was also an active member of the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.^
Dr. L.W. Smith’s administrative responsibilities in Joliet uniquely included a traditional high school pro- gram, a continuation school, vocational school, Americanization school, and night school, as well as
the nation’s oldest junior college. When Smith i arrived in 1919, he was surprised to learn that Joliet || Junior College was better known in the educational j community outside Joliet than it was in the district ij that financially supported it. Indeed, during the i founding and early formative years, neither i Superintendent Brown nor the School Board had , publicized the junior college locally, presumably out | of concern that township taxpayers might resist the added expense of freely providing the first two years of college to students in the high school district. By 1920, however, things were changing. The 1917 addi- tion to the building was commonly known as the col- . lege division, and enrollments were on the increase, attributed, in part, to the return of World War I vet- erans. Besides, Joliet Junior College was no longer an educational experiment or novelty; the junior col- lege movement was gaining momentum and accep- tance across the nation.
During Smith’s tenure as the chief administrator from 1919 to 1928, he expanded the college curricu- lum and actively promoted a separate and distinct identity for JJC even though the college continued to share facilities with the much larger township high school. By the end of his first year. Smith had autho- rized the printing of the first college catalog, the cre- ation of a separate college library with a full-time librarian, the planning of a three-phase building expansion program, and the establishment of an office for the three-member Junior College Committee that registered and advised all college students.
The new catalog in 1920 outlined six college pro- grams: literature and arts, science, engineering, pre- legal, pre-medical, and a special program for training teachers. Although they were patterned after the University of Illinois, the courses of study were broad enough to permit students to successfully transfer into almost any college or university. However, only stu- dents with an overall scholastic average of at least 80 percent were recommended for transfer. This first cat- alog reflected the early “feeder” and “weeder” functions j of the college. JJC offered primarily parallel programs | designed to feed transfer students into four-year col- i
26
leges and universities while weeding out weaker stu- dents with an academic average under 80 percent.®
The creation of a separate college library in 1920 provided students a “pleasant, well-lighted room” where they could engage in “real study” as they pur- sued one of four degrees then being conferred: associ- ate in arts, associate in science, associate in engineer- ing, and associate in education.^ Like other high school-based junior colleges, JJC’s identity as a sepa- rate institution was slow to take shape. The new library, however, significantly enhanced the college atmosphere on campus. Also, the awarding of associ- ate degrees at formal commencement exercises, which began in 1918, was an important reminder each year that students, indeed, were pursuing nationally-recognized college degrees and not simply taking advanced classes in a two-year high school extension program.
Under Smith’s leadership during the 1920s, there were significant changes in the college curriculum as the institution’s identity and purpose began evolving from “junior college” to “community college.” During the formative years prior to World War I, J. Stanley Brown, Smith’s predecessor, had concentrated on devel- oping courses of study that paralleled the first two years of university work. Few other junior colleges existed, and it was important that students attending JJC receive full credit when transferring to four-year schools. Except for the two-year teacher-training pro- gram known as the normal course, the early emphasis clearly was on the transferability of JJC classes, espe- cially in math and science. During this early period, the curriculum included pre-professional courses of study designed to prepare students to enter legal, med- ical, and engineering programs. In short, Joliet Junior College had been established primarily as a two-year upward extension of Joliet Township High School to prepare students to enter a university or professional school with junior class standing.
After World War I, junior colleges increased in number and gained greater acceptance among educa- tors and the community at large. Post-war changes in the curriculum reflected a growing interest in the social sciences, new teaching methods, and the real- ization that the junior college should offer the local community more than college transfer courses. At JJC, for example, a modern European history class was introduced much like the one offered at the University of Illinois. The course at the junior col-
lege, however, was taught largely by students under the guidance of instructor Ralph Bush. A similar student-based teaching strategy was also used in sociology classes.® Furthermore, the school Bulletin and college catalogs of the mid- 1920s marketed cer- tain college programs as both transfer and terminal in nature. A new pre-commerce curriculum, as well as several variations of the engineering curriculum, was intended to prepare students either to enter the local job market or to continue studying for an advanced degree.^ By 1931, the college curriculum had been expanded to include occupational courses specifically designed for non-transfer students. The school Bulletin announced that now there was “spe- cial emphasis also upon terminal courses, designed to train the many young people of Joliet whose school life is going to end when they leave Junior College.”® School publications underscored the college’s suc- cess in attracting local high school graduates and preparing them to transfer to senior institutions or to find mid-level jobs in the Joliet area. Of the 348 grad- uates of Joliet Township High School in 1930, more than one hundred enrolled in the junior college; only thirty-three seniors chose some other college or uni- versity.® Joliet Junior College was becoming the kind of institution advocated in 1931 by Walter Crosby Eells in his highly regarded book. The Junior College, namely a “people’s college.” Eells encouraged junior colleges to become schools that “provide collegiate opportunity for the mass of high school graduates who can’t, won’t or shouldn’t become university students.”^ The school Bulletin offered the following reasons for students to attend Joliet Junior College: its inexpen- sive cost, small class size, excellent teachers, the desire of parents to keep children in the home envi- ronment, and the college’s new vocational courses. “ Follow-up studies of JJC students in the 1920s showed that increasing numbers of graduates were terminating their formal studies and looking for employment. For example, of the forty-five members of the graduating class of 1927, eighteen transferred to senior institutions, while twenty-one immediately went to work.^® The college truly was in a period of transition from narrowly serving academically gifted students to more broadly training students for semi- professional jobs as well. A few college-level courses were even offered in the evening from 7:20 to 9:30 p.m. The only charge was an enrollment fee of $1, which was refunded if the student attended four-
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fifths of the class sessions.^^ Though JJC was not yet a comprehensive community college, it was moving steadily in that direction. Not only was it accessible, but the college was becoming adaptable and more rel- evant to students’ diverse needs.
Soon after he arrived in Joliet, Superintendent Smith realized that an extensive building expansion program was necessary. Classrooms and laboratories were inadequate and crowded, enrollments were steadily climbing, and new programs were needed, especially in vocational training. The school was renting space in nearby churches and commercial buildings. The lunchroom was inconveniently located across the street, and the gymnasium was a block and a half away. A school traffic officer patrolled the busiest intersections, keeping an eye on students hurrying to off-campus buildings. Despite the com- paratively small size of the junior college in relation to the school’s other programs. Smith publicly announced that new college science labs and special- ly-equipped pre-engineering classrooms were needed. Without questioning the added expense of funding two years of college work, township voters approved the sale of $750,000 worth of bonds to fund phase one of the expansion plan.
Within five years of Dr. Smith’s arrival, college enrollment had more than doubled. Unlike his prede- cessor, Smith boldly publicized the economic and acad- emic advantages of attending the junior college. The message reached even students outside the district who enrolled in ever-increasing numbers. In fact, in the 1921-22 academic year, one-fifth of the freshman class was composed of non-resident students who paid a modest out-of-district tuition fee. Furthermore, a few Joliet students transferred back from the University of Illinois when they realized that the same courses could be taken free of charge at the junior college. The building expansion program was also an important factor in the growth of the college; it provided additional space to expand the curriculum, especially in the area of vocational training.^®
Despite the college’s positive image portrayed by Smith and other school officials, occasional rumors surfaced that some students had difficulty transfer- ring junior college credits into senior institutions. Smith grew impatient with those who questioned the transferability of JJC courses. At a meeting of the School Board on November 15, 1926, the superinten- dent read letters from both the University of Illinois
and the University of Chicago certifying the validity and acceptability of JJC credits. The Board passed a ^ motion to have the two letters published on the front page of the Joliet Herald-News in an effort to end the rumors of transfer problems.^® ;
Superintendent Smith was very active in state i and national organizations and knew how highly regarded Joliet Junior College was among the ' nation’s educational leaders. He was anxious that Joliet residents understand the role of JJC in the junior college movement and that they share his pride in the institution’s reputation. Smith informed district residents that the college was often studied by national educators and prominently mentioned in reports on the role of junior colleges in higher educa- tion. He stated that “since Joliet Junior College has thus established a precedent for other institutions of its kind and is a vigorous exponent of the junior col- lege idea, it should not be without honor in its own country, and in its own house, and among its own kindred.” At the time, few Joliet residents fully understood and appreciated JJC’s historic role in the junior college movement. Indeed, by the late 1920s, some ninety other junior colleges were patterned, to a large extent, after the pioneer institution in Joliet.
Dr. L. W. Smith supported students in their effort to establish a college atmosphere even though the campus was devoted primarily to educating some 3,000 high school students. Despite their circum- stances in the 1920s, the few hundred JJC students ^ did make considerable progress in developing a sepa- j rate identity and cohesiveness, largely through a i variety of extracurricular activities. Both intercolle- | giate and intramural athletics provided men and ! women opportunities to compete in sports. Men’s j basketball and baseball teams vied for conference | championships against five other schools in the | Northern Illinois Junior College Conference. JJC I sometimes fielded track, tennis, and golf teams as | well. Initially, women participated in intramural I contests in a few sports, such as basketball, baseball, | and field hockey. The formation of the Women’s I Athletic Association (W.A.A.) in the fall of 1925, how- j ever, greatly expanded athletic and social opportuni- ties for female students. Under the guidance of facul- I ty sponsor Phoebe Henderson Kirby, women’s activi- ties eventually included track, tennis, horseback rid- ing, swimming, rifle-shooting, folk dancing, interpre- tive and tap dancing, shuffleboard, volleyball, bad-
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minton, golf, bowling, a Christmas Tea, and a Mother and Daughter Banquet.
A number of clubs and organizations were formed by students with special academic and social inter- ests. Language clubs were formed for students inter- ested in French and German, drama and music clubs for those interested in the performing arts, the Scalpel Club for pre-medical students, and a social and liter- ary club called the Growlers. A Student Council was organized in 1928 with Charles McKeown, later a lawyer and civic leader in Joliet, serving as the first president. The following year, the college newspaper. The Blazer, made its appearance, and a few years later the college published its own yearbook. In 1931, the Joliet Township High School Bulletin noted the significance of these clubs and activities;
These extra-curricular activities were without question a factor of considerable importance in the growth of the junior college. Not only did they help crystallize the junior college into an I institution, but they went far in arousing a desire I or a willingness among high-school seniors to do j their first years of beginning work in Joliet.^^
I The numerous social and academic clubs provided I leadership training and promoted individual student I development. Conversely, freshman and sophomore i students at large colleges and universities had far ; fewer leadership opportunities available to them.
! During his nine years in Joliet, Superintendent I Smith was active professionally in state and national ! organizations. He published articles, participated in I educational conferences, and during the summer i months taught classes at such schools as the University of Chicago, the University of California, and the University of Michigan. At Michigan, he I taught a summer course on “The Origin and ! Administration of Junior Colleges.” At Smith’s request, the School Board sent him to California in October of 1927 to study that state’s best junior col- leges. Seven months later. Smith resigned to accept the position of superintendent of schools in Berkeley, California. Although his decision to leave Joliet was unexpected, it was not surprising that his name appeared on a short list of candidates for the Berkeley position. When the Joliet Board accepted Smith’s resignation on June 7, 1928, the Board again asked Assistant Superintendent C. E. Spicer to take the district’s top job. Once again Spicer declined.^^ Educators from across the nation applied for the
highly desirable position of Superintendent of Joliet Township High School and Junior College. At a spe- cial meeting on July 30, 1928, the Board announced that W. W. Haggard had been selected to fill the vacancy. Haggard was currently serving as principal of Rockford Senior High School in Rockford, Illinois. He held a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College in his native Tennessee. He had also admin- istered high schools in Petoskey and Saginaw, Michigan. When he applied for the job in Joliet, Haggard was serving as secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Principals’ Association and vice president of the Big Seven High School Conference.^^
Haggard began his administrative responsibilities in Joliet at a time when the high school and junior college were enjo3ung unprecedented growth and suc- cess. A year later, however, the stock market crash and ensuing depression seriously tested the mettle and leadership of the new superintendent. By the time of his departure in 1939, the economy was show- ing some signs of improvement, but war clouds were gathering over Europe and the Far East. Indeed, the decade of the 1930s was an interesting and challeng- ing period in the history of the college.
Beginning with Haggard’s administration, the day-to-day operation of the junior college shifted from the high school superintendent to the college dean, a position created in 1926 with the appointment of Ira D. Yaggy. Since he registered and advised all college students and supervised their social activities. Dean Yaggy was generally regarded as the person who made decisions and “ran the college.”^^
During the 1930s, there were few major additions or changes in the college curriculum. The most signif- icant changes reflected the national trend in junior colleges of providing occupational education for non- transfer students. For example, a two-year electrical engineering program was introduced in 1930 for stu- dents interested in acquiring jobs in local industry. The program was discontinued two years later, how- ever, as an economy measure necessitated by the depression. An agreement with Silver Cross Hospital to provide academic courses for nurses in training proved to be much more successful.^® In fact, the col- lege continued to offer such classes as chemistry, anatomy and physiology, psychology, and bacteriology until 1969 when the hospital closed its training pro- gram and supported JJC’s new associate degree pro-
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gram in nursing. On the other hand, the two-year normal course for training elementary teachers had been primarily a terminal program since its inception in 1901, but in the late thirties, it became a pre-pro- fessional transfer program. The Illinois General Assembly passed a law effective in 1943 that required elementary teachers to hold a bachelor’s degree.^®
Junior college transfer courses and programs con- tinued to mirror those at the University of Illinois. Whenever the U of I changed course content, prereq- uisites, or program requirements, similar revisions were soon made at JJC. Administrators and faculty regularly visited the university campus and corre- sponded with the registrar to keep abreast of any changes. These articulation efforts with the U of I and other colleges minimized transfer problems and maximized student success in junior and senior-level classes. Studies of junior college transfer students were conducted by both JJC administrators and out- side agencies and, without exception, showed that Joliet transfer students performed better in the last two years of college than those students who spent all four years at the same college or university. In fact, similar studies throughout the years have consistent- ly yielded the same results, a point often emphasized in college advertising and marketing.^^
The Great Depression of the 1930s stretched the district financially and prompted significant changes in managing the school’s resources. Thousands of dollars in district funds were tied up in bank closings, and real estate taxes were slow to be paid. The Board of Trustees resorted to paying school bills with warrants and school employees with 6 percent orders and locally-issued scrip. Beginning in 1932, employ- ee contracts contained a provision granting the School Board the right to cancel pay periods. For the next several years, teachers and other employees annually lost up to 25 percent of their salaries through payless paydays. Between 1932 and 1938, canceled pay periods cost employees the equivalent of a year’s wages. Other economy measures included a reduction in faculty and a corresponding increase in teaching load and class size.
With an uncertain future and few jobs available, young men and women in the Joliet area took advan- tage of the free college education at JJC. The combi- nation of a sharp increase in college enrollment and an acute shortage of funds prompted the School Board on February 8, 1932, to adopt a resolution
requiring resident students to pay tuition until the financial crisis passed. Initially the fee was set at $25 per semester, but was raised to $35 the following year. Non-resident students were charged a rate of $100 per semester. The $35 tuition charge for district residents remained in place until 1949. Although school officials anticipated a dramatic drop in college enrollment, perhaps by as much as one-third, the decline was hardly noticeable. Furthermore, stu- dents were now required to buy their own examina- tion booklets and to pay a $1.50 graduation fee.^® Although the new costs certainly created a hardship for students. The Blazer sounded a positive note in the fall of 1932:
The biggest effect the depression has had on the college is that students have made up their minds really to do things in their studies.
After paying all the necessary money and real- izing how scarce the money is, the students are applying themselves with added determination to get their money’s worth out of the school.^'^ Fortunately, new sources of revenue were found in : the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. A $6,000 i| grant from the Carnegie Corporation was used to i| expand and remodel the library and add four thou- : sand books to the college collection. New Deal pro- • grams were tapped to help students pay their tuition i] and fees. A grant of $4,500 enabled fifty-five stu- i dents to work as aides in the library, laboratories, , and various offices. The National Youth Act (NYA) i also provided jobs for students who were looking for ' ways to meet college expenses. The School Board 1 awarded scholarships to the top male and female stu- : dents in surrounding high schools. Service clubs and l[ private donors also established scholarships for wor- thy students with financial need. Finally, the College : j Loan Fund was available for students to borrow ' money to pay their college bills.®^ i
Despite economic hard times, students enjoyed i extracurricular activities and continued to develop a college identity and collegiate atmosphere on campus. Surprisingly, the first college yearbook was published during the depression in 1933 when two students con- vinced Dean Yaggy that it could be financed solely through student sales. The Student Council sponsored ^ a contest in 1935 for a new, livelier college song. The ' winner was Stanley Johnson, who wrote a song more suitable for arousing school spirit at pep rallies. New student clubs were formed in the 1930s, including a
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j Current Events Club that met at noon and discussed I timely topics in the news. Like other college CEunpuses I in the mid-1980s, JJC was caught up in the peace movement and held an anti-war day on April 22, 1936.
Sporting events and athletic competition provided students a welcome diversion from academic stress and economic concerns. Aubrey A. “Fizz” Wills joined the athletic department in 1928 and enjoyed consid- erable success coaching college basketball and base- ball teams. Beginning in 1931, the basketball team won eleven consecutive conference titles; the team also won three consecutive state championships dur- I ing the mid-1980s. The baseball, tennis, and golf j teams also won conference titles and proudly ! squeezed their trophies into the crowded case.
] Although the Northern Illinois Junior College j Conference was devoted primarily to intercollegiate j sports, it broadened its scope in 1934 to include other I student activities. With Dean Yaggy then serving as ! president of NIJCC, Joliet Junior College hosted the i first annual student conference. Following a general j meeting, student representatives from eight junior I colleges adjourned to breakout sessions where they i exchanged information and ideas about publications,
I clubs, and campus concerns.^^ Delegates raised such i issues as the 11:30 p.m. curfew for college parties to learn whether students at other colleges had similar ; social restrictions. Since the vast majority of junior ! colleges were located on high school campuses, the ' creation of an appropriate college environment was , often a matter of disagreement between students and i administrative staff.
Although the public junior college movement I started in Illinois, the state lagged behind others in I developing new institutions. Of the nation’s ninety- ! two public junior colleges in 1929, only six were locat- I ed in Illinois. Since these colleges were supported by j high school tax levies and were not legally part of the ! state’s higher education system, their very existence could have been jeopardized if challenged by taxpay- ing citizens. Even more disturbing to supporters of public junior colleges was a 1927 opinion rendered by the Illinois Attorney General stating that “a board of education has no authority under the laws of the State to establish or maintain a junior college.” This meant that Joliet Junior College had existed “extra- legally” since its beginning in 1901.^^
Even though Joliet taxpayers had never ques- tioned the legality of JJC, Superintendent Haggard
believed that it was time to legitimatize existing junior colleges and provide a process for creating additional two-year colleges throughout the state. With Haggard taking the lead, a committee repre- senting suburban junior colleges attempted, with lim- ited success, to enlist the support of university lead- ers and the state Department of Education. Superintendent of Public Instruction John Wieland agreed to offer assistance but was clearly reluctant to provide leadership; there were other more pressing problems on his agenda. Dean Thomas Benner and President Willard of the University of Illinois were evasive and reluctant to support the plan proposed by Haggard’s committee. They were not sure how the university would be impacted financially if junior col- leges began competing for the state’s limited educa- tional resources. They also thought that clearer guidelines were needed for creating new junior col- lege districts. A state law passed in 1931 authorized the public school system of Chicago to establish one junior college, but no provision was made for the rest of the state. JJC and the other Illinois junior colleges continued to exist without express legal sanction.^®
It was apparent to Haggard and other junior col- lege leaders that they would have to move ahead on their own. With the support of the newly organized Illinois Association of Junior Colleges, Haggard draft- ed a bill that Senator Richard Barr of Joliet agreed to support. The measure was enacted into law in May 1937. The statute established the legality of existing junior colleges and provided general guidelines for creating new two-year colleges. Although the lAJC was pleased that member institutions now had legal status. President Willard of the U of I believed the measure left too many unanswered questions. There was no systematic plan for creating new junior col- leges, and there was no clear provision for supporting these institutions financially. Despite its shortcom- ings, the law was an important first step in validat- ing junior college education in Illinois. Additional steps would be taken later but not with the leader- ship of W. W. Haggard. He resigned in 1939 to accept a position in the far Northwest as president of Western Washington College of Education.^®
During Haggard’s eleven years as superintendent of Joliet Township High School and Junior College, he had been active professionally at the state and national levels. In 1937 he earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago, while at the same time.
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serving as president of the American Association of Junior Colleges. When he left Joliet, Dr. Haggard was secretary of the North Central Association and president of the Northwestern Division of the Illinois Education Association.^^
The year 1939 also marked the end of C. E. Spicer’s long career at the high school and junior col- lege. He retired and moved to his summer home in Frankfort, Michigan. At his final commencement exercises, three generations of students paid tribute to the man they admired and respected. He had taught them science, counseled them, befriended them, and disciplined them when necessary. He
remarked that it was time to leave before “I meet not the grandchildren, but the great-grandchildren of my first pupils.” The departure of Haggard and Spicer marked the end of an era, a period characterized by stable leadership during uncertain and challenging times. The new era beginning in 1939 would bring far less stability to the superintendent’s office. Indeed, four men held the school’s top job during the next eight years and faced the perplexities of World War II and its impact on higher education.®®
Dr. L. W. Smith, Superintendent, 1919- 1928
W. W. Haggard, Superintendent, 1 928 - 1 939
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Record of
Sterling^ .J>Terat-t
Semester
Hours
Subject
Soon after Dr. Smith arrived, he began remodeling the administrative and general office space. Pictured here in 1922 is the expanded office area with the registrar’s desk in the foreground and the reception area beyond. Set off by glass partitions on the right are the offices of the assistant superintendent, assistant principal, supervi- sor of vocational education, and personnel director. The clerical space at the far end was adjacent to the superintendent’s office and was staffed by five secretaries engaged in general office work.
Ehetoric - lath. 3 Zoology Ik Geology Inorg* & Qual Gym. mvVVN.t
Previous Credits Total Credits
Passing Grade 76. For the significance of other grades and Of abbreviations, see other side. . ' KEEP THIS GA,RD FOR REFERENCE .
‘ ^ Jraior (Allege Ck>mmittee^^ ■
Pictured here is the report card or grade record of Everett Sterling, a freshman in 1 925-26. At semester’s end, instructors assigned numerical grades to each person enrolled in class. Only students with a cumula- tive average of 80 percent or higher were recommended for transfer to senior institutions.
The typewriter, duplicating machine, wicker wastebasket, wall cases, and storage draw- ers are reminiscent of school offices seventy-five years ago.
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Librat7 shared by ■
college students j
before 1 920 I
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When Dr. L W. Smith became superintendent in 1 9 1 9, a top priority of his administration was the creation of a separate college library. Although a small collection of books had been kept in the college assembly room, JJC students usually resorted to using the larger high school library. A “long-suffering janitor” also hauled books back and forth from the public library. Within a year, however. Smith’s goal was achieved. A college library was established, and a full-time librarian, Pauline Dillman, was appointed to catalog and oversee the college’s growing collection of 1 ,400 books. Within a decade the library boasted 5,500 bound vol- umes, 800 pamphlets, and 65 periodicals. Students added their own touches to the room by hanging inspirational pictures and designing a special college emblem for the wall. Not only was the new library an important academic resource for student^but it was also a significant development in fostering a college atmosphere and identity on campus.^
College Library after 1 920 with Librarian Pauline Dillman
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During the 1920s, an increasing number of classes were offered that doubled as both transfer courses and terminal occupational courses, such as the surveying class pictured here in 1 928.
One of the most interesting and unusual instructional settings was the combined lecture room, biology labo- ratory, and museum pictured here in 1 927. The wide ends of the trapezoidal tables faced the windows to permit all students to receive the maximum amount of natural light The instructor’s desk was used for scientific demonstrations and was equipped with hot and cold water, steam, compressed air, and electricity. The wall cases with glass fronts contained specimens of plants, mounted birds and small mammals, and a variety of other related materials. The cases also con- tained microscopes, lantern slides, and numerous pic- tures and diagrams of plant and animal life. The living plants on the tables were grown in the school green- house. Representatives from other colleges and high schools who toured the building were especially inter- ested in visiting this unique science room.
The high school and junior college boasted one of the finest school-based greenhouses in the state. Located near the biology labs, the greenhouse enabled science instructors to demonstrate the various phases of germination and plant develop- ment. In addition to ordinary seed plants and ferns, the greenhouse supported living specimens of unusual and rare plant life indigenous to other climates and regions of the world. Besides its edu- cational value, the greenhouse served the practical purpose of providing decorative plants and flower arrangements for special events at the school.
Until this photograph was taken in 1923 for The J, school publica- tions did not distinguish between high school and college teachers. Gathered here in front of the school’s distinctive doors are mem- bers of the junior college faculty. Board policy at this time provided that the minimum standards for teaching at the high school and junior college were a master’s degree and two years of teaching
experience. During the 1 920s, faculty members occasionally asked the School Board to re-evaluate their level of pay. There appears to have been a significant disparity between the salaries of teachers and administrators. In 1 928, for example, the superintendent’s salary was $ 1 1 ,000, while male teachers earned an average of $2,706 and female faculty members were paid an average of $2,572 per year.
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'^ulL^Lh^ for the "Tuture
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street from the high schoolJ^
Since expansion was blocked by the Eastern Avenue Baptist Church on the northwest side of the original building, architect D. H. Burnham developed a plan that literally surrounded the church on three sides. Meanwhile, the School Board continued its protract- ' ed negotiations with church leaders for the purchase i of their building.
Township voters approved phase one of the expan- sion program on August 31, 1920. Completed in 1922, the addition fully extended the east side of the build- ^ ing along Herkimer Street. On the west side along i Eastern Avenue, however, the church property pre- vented a continuous expansion of the original build- j
Dr. F.W. Werner Mr. Clarence Sterling Mr. J.A. Olhaver Mr. LA. Sherwood Mr. Arthur Montzheimer
President Secretary Vice President
The men pictured here were members of the School Board in the early 1920s when a three-phase expansion plan was envisioned and designed. By 1925, the first two additions to the building were completed.
At the School Board’s request, the City of Joliet vacated Van Buren Street between Eastern Avenue and Herkimer Street in order to permit the expansion of the building. Pictured here with Herkimer Street in the foreground is phase one of the building program nearing completion in 1922. The section known as the “bridge” in the center of the photograph joined the 1917 addition (the “college division”) on the left to the new 1922 addition on the right.
Rapid growth of the district’s comprehensive program, namely the high school, continuation school, vocational school, Americanization school, night school, and junior college, prompted the School Board in the early 1920s to begin planning for an extensive three-phase building pro- gram. The school Bulletin explained to parents and the pubhc alike the dire need for additional space:
At present we are using as classrooms two wash rooms, three storage rooms, three rooms lighted only by artificial light, [and] the women’s rest room. Besides utilizing every available foot of space in the high school, no matter how unsuit- able, we are occupying six outside buildings, all but one of them being on the opposite side of the
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ing. The new addition gave the school an unusual shape: it was a block wide at the two ends and about half as wide in the center section, with the church property cutting into the middle of the building on Eastern Avenue. The 1922 addition included a new boys’ gym with an elevated running track, a large lunchroom with separate facilities for teachers, and several new rooms for shops and occupational classes.
With the assistance of arbitrators, an acceptable price was finally established for the Eastern Avenue Baptist Church. The church was razed in 1923 for phase two of the expansion plan. Completed in 1925, I the centerpiece of the new addition was a large audito- 1 rium. In 1930, voters approved the last major addition
to the north end of the building, a girls’ gym. Designed as an extension to the existing gym, a folding partition could divide the space for separate activities or open it for events requiring the full g3minasium.
The four additions to the original structure (1917, 1922, 1925, and 1931) created one of the largest high school buildings in the nation. Although intended primarily for high school students, the new gymnasi- ums, lunchroom, auditorium, shops, laboratories, and classrooms were used by college students as well. During these early years when most junior colleges were linked to secondary schools, JJC was indeed for- tunate to share a campus and facilities with a very progressive high school.
(a*;. :-\'
Above the memorial fountain in the area that bridged the 1917 and 1922 additions stands the likeness of a doughboy. Conrad W. Braun donated the statue entitled The World Soldier in honor of the many students and faculty who served in World War I.
The 1922 addition included a modern gymnasium, generally known as the “boys’ gym.” It had a seating capacity of 2,000 for sporting events but could also be divided by the curtain seen here to accommodate intramural con- tests and gym classes. Above the gym was one of the finest indoor running tracks in the Middle West.
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Left: The third phase of the building expansion program was completed in 1931 with the addition of a girls’ gym. At the dedication ceremony, junior college women entertained by presenting Irish, French, Bavarian, and Polish folk dances. Partici- pants learned their dance steps in gym class and were responsible for making their own costumes. The Polish folk dance is presented here by Winifred Kerr, Juanita Hartong, Suzanne Romanowski, Ruth Schultz, Mars Wiggim, Mary Wheeler, Irene Howell, unidentified, Rachel Bisching, lla Bishop, Dorothy Hausser, and Emma Lou juda.
Right: In the 1920s, most students walked or took public transporta- tion to the junior college. A few students, however, like Edward H. Crombie, commuted by car. With the school in the background in 1928, Crombie proudly stands next to his Model T Ford coupe.
Left: The Eastern Avenue Baptist Church was located north of the original school and stood in the way of expansion plans. Since the School Board had been unable to acquire the property when the 1922 addition was built, architect D. H. Burnham designed a structure that virtually surrounded the church. Part of the new addition can be seen to the left (north) of the church and behind (east of) the church; the original high school building is out of the picture on the south side of the church to the right. The church was finally purchased and torn down in 1 923 to make way for the second phase of the Board’s expansion program.
Right: Looking north on Eastern Avenue in 1924, one sees the second phase of the expansion plan nearing completion. The Eastern Avenue Baptist Church has been razed, and a new school auditorium is being built. At the March 3, 1925, Board meeting. Superintendent Smith recommended that the following quotation from Diogenes be inscribed in the panel above the auditorium stage: “THE FOUNDATION OF EVERY STATE IS THE EDUCATIONI OF ITS YOUTH.”
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Right: In June 1911, the School Board purchased the Elwood property on the southwest corner of Jefferson Street and Eastern Avenue. The two-story brick building on the site was converted into a manual training and domestic science facility. The grounds were developed into a school campus with benches and trees. In 1938, however, the park-like property was paved for parking to accommodate the increasing number of faculty and stu- dents driving cars to school.
Left: Beginning in 1916 when Superintendent J. Stanley Brown informed students that they were no longer considered “post-graduates” but rather collegians with new privileges, officers were elected to oversee the activi- ties and represent the interests of college students. Not until 1921, how- ever, were photographs of junior college officers printed in school publica- tions. The four students seen here were elected to represent the entire student body. The following year, the freshman and sophomore classes elected separate slates of officers. Pictured here are Harold Patterson (treasurer), Harriet Bush (vice president), Chalmers Miller (secretary), and Robert Fraser (president).
Right: One of JJCs most successful ! teams in the early years, the “basketball ; warriors” of 1921 lost only three of thirteen games, two of which were ! played on “foreign floors and in freak gyms.”'® The school yearbook boasted that Joliet Junior College was one of the most feared schools in northern Illinois. Front: Ray Morris A. Flint, C. Lewis, John Douglas (captain), Randall Grady,
I Robert Eyman. Back: Chalmers Miller ! (manager), Harold Griffin, C. J. Wagner (coach), Leland Stephen, Clarence I Rogers. Freddie Heilman served as i team mascot.
Left: Aubrey A. “Fizz” Wills joined the Physical Education Department in 1 928 and soon enjoyed considerable success coaching the college basket- ball and baseball teams. Wills acquired the nick- name “Fizz” as a teenager while working at the soda fountain in his father’s drugstore. The teams had experienced losing conference records in the late 1 920s, but Coach Wills turned around the two intercollegiate programs. Pictured here is the first JJC baseball team (1929) coached by “Fizz” Wills. Front: Joseph Zelko, Sherwin Leiss, Richard Calosio, Steve Smyder, Gaylord Robinson, Thomas Slattery. Back: Lipsey,
Brutka, Edward Crombie, Aloysius Nolan, Emil Di Lorenzo, Carl Berst, Elmer Rowley, Stephen Petruska, A. A. “Fizz” Wills (coach).
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'M^omen s Athletic ^ssodatLon
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Organized early in the 1925-26 school year, the Women’s Athletic Association (W.A.A.) provided female students with opportunities to compete in sports. As the years passed, more and more ath- letic activities became available to women through the efforts of the W.A.A. and its faculty sponsor, Phoebe Henderson Kirby. Pictured here are members of the association in 1 928.
Katherine Dunham, an African-American student who later achieved world-wide acclaim as an anthropologist, writer, choreographer, and dancer, served as president. First Row: Virginia Powers, Cassidy, Gladys Eib, Mary Schuster,
Grace Bailey, Althea Peterson, Alice Fitch, Katherine Dunham, Martha Ragnes. Second Row: Vera Higby, Mary Manning, Mary Lynch, Cooney, Josephine Keltie, Myrtle Patterson, Phoebe Kirby (sponsor). Third Row: Marie Schwab, Hazel Klint, Anna Koerner, Mary Clark, Verna Lawrence, Fraser. Fourth Row: Neva Robbins, Winifred Day, Mary Ashley, Elizabeth Pettigrew, Margaret O’Connell, June Hutchinson, Bourrie, Mildred Becker, Frances Barclay.
One of the W.A.A.’s most popular events was the annual basketball game with the high school all-star team. Although the 1927 players pictured here narrowly lost an exciting game, they enjoyed the enthusiastic support of other W.A.A. mem- bers cheering from the bleachers. L-R: Phoebe Henderson Kirby (coach), Grace Bailey, Vina Watjus, Doris Reece, Jean Grant, Neva Robbins, Ramona Powell, Lois Hartman, Ruth Mortvedt, Katherine Dunham, Hazel Conlon.
Horseback riding was added in 1931 to the grow- ing list of activities available to members of the W.A.A. Pictured here the following year near the stables in Pilcher Park are several college women headed for a ride on the park’s bridal paths. Louis Boos and Ray Daggett provided instruction for any inexperienced riders. Several club members entered three events in the annual horse show: the five-gaited, three-gaited, and musical chairs events. L-R: Mr. Boos, Doris Eib, Miss Turner (sponsor), Beulah Green, Elsie Rinearson, Margaret Wiswell, Mildred Kristal, Virginia Dille, Gwendolyn Davis, Betty Groth, Dorothy Westendarp (faculty sponsor), Mr. Daggett.
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A popular activity sponsored by the Women’s Athletic Association was swimming. Pictured here in 1932 are the junior college swimmers. Front: Grace Gjessing, Phyllis Tyacke, Beulah Green, Betty Groth, Gertrude Johannsen, Margaret Wiswell, Virginia Bolton. Middle: Elsie Rinearson, Ruth Souvenier, Gwen Davis, Guydell Schwartz, Helen Dudek, Virginia Dille, Dorothy Adams, Elizabeth Robertson, Barbara Broughton. Back: Margaret Skorupa, Helen Morse, Ruth Jennings, Ruth Tullock, Cecelia Branchaw, Pauline Woodrow, Louise Carlson, Janice Miller.
I The Women’s Rifle Club was organized in the mid- i 1 930s to develop perseverance, patience, sportsman- I ship, and marksmanship. R.O.T.C. instructors I coached the would-be sharpshooters in proper firing ; techniques for the prone, sitting, kneeling, and stand- j ing positions. Required to purchase their own ammu- ' nition, club members shot every Tuesday afternoon.
I Standard attire on the firing range consisted of dark 1 blue overalls and white shirts. Pictured here are ] members of the 1 937 Rifle Club. Back: Marie Berg, i Ruth Smith. Front: Virginia Lindsley, Catherine ; Haller, Pearl Sutton, Genevieve Wilson, Lorraine Hedburg, Dorothy Chalstrom, Marjorie Knight, Eileen I Rodgers, Marilyn Rhodes, Alice Nethery.
J By the late 1 930s, the Women’s Athletic Association I offered a wide variety of activities. In the fall, field : hockey and horseback riding were popular. During i the winter, basketball, rifle-shooting, volleyball, and I shuffleboard were favorite activities. Golf, tennis, j and baseball were enjoyed during the spring. There I were also a number of all-seasonal sports and activi- i ties including swimming, tumbling, tap-dancing, and orchesis (an interpretive dance group). An Outing Club organized hiking, biking, ice skating, and tobog- ganing. The W.A.A. hosted Co-ed Nights in the gym and planned mixed tournaments in bowling, Ping- Pong, and badminton. It sponsored at least one “girls’ choice’’ dance during the year, held a Christmas Tea for faculty members, and then ended its busy schedule with a Mother and Daughter Banquet in May. Pictured here in 1935 are several W.A.A. members dressed in uniforms depicting the group’s various activities. Front: Elaine Marshall,
Pauline Sweda, Marion Sieben, Mary Owens,
Jennings, Sara Snure, Marie Mancuso, Gladys Gabel.
Middle: Virginia Fahrner, Willa Lou Longley, Edna Larson, Genevieve Anderson, Catherine Johnson, Viola Larson, Mary Harmon, Frances Motta, Leona Blogg. Back: Lucille Lentini, Rosella Canino, Helen Eaton, Dorothy Benson, Bernadine Leser, Belle Levin, Betty Johnston, Joanna Maheras, Dorothy Motta.
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'T^otabLe ‘Tirsts at the 'Nation ^ 'Tirst Jumgr College
During the decades of the 1920s and ‘30s, Joliet Junior College continued to establish its own identity even though it physically remained part of a growing high school district. The superintendents who suc-
ceeded J. Stanley Brown actively promoted the col- lege as a separate entity and not merely a two-year extension of the high school experience. A variety of student clubs, social activities, publications, and
Foreign language clubs were popular on cam- pus during the 1 920s and ‘30s. One of the first French clubs, the Feytel Club, is seen here in 1922. Named in honor of a noted professor in France, the club enjoyed socials, formed study groups, and published a paper in French. Club members credited their group’s success to fac- ulty sponsor Minnie Babcock.
Spearheaded by Anton Olivio, Joe Duffy, and Ruth Crane, a new club known as the Growlers was organized in 1923. Meeting every third Monday evening, the organization focused on improving the social and intellectual life of the college. The meet- ings often featured outside speakers, debates, stu- dent talent, and musical programs followed by a social hour of dancing and games. The culminating social event of the club’s first year was a traditional barn party held at the home of Florence Walz. By all accounts, the JjC wolves in attendance howled and growled and had a great time.
The Musical Club provided students an opportuni- ty to perform in at least one musical production each year. The 1926 club members pictured here presented II Trovatore. Front: Marjorie Livingston, Heloise Marwick, Verna Bailey, Doris Rohrbach, jenny Westling, Carol Brewster, Mabel Hansen. Middle: Robert Conkling, James Lordan, C. Dana Watson, Mary Van Horn, Lease, Eleanor Metheny, Ariel Mortvedt. Back: Edward Harford, Dagoberto Gonzalez, Hartman, Jean Grant, Suda Norris, Paul Stewart.
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intercollegiate athletic events were important in fos- vened and reminded students that some college activ- tering and promoting a college atmosphere. When ities were inappropriate on a junior college campus, students attempted to establish a fraternity in the fall of 1922, however, school administrators inter-
During the 1926- 27 school year, the Growlers,
Musical Club, and Dramatic Club merged to form a new student organization known as the College Club.
The new club was better able to coordinate the college’s social, intellectual, and performing arts schedule. Events ranged from musical and dramatic performances to ice cream socials, and from semi-formal dances to student debates. Of particular interest to some club members was a debate on the topic of amending prohibition to permit the manufacture and sale of light wines and beer under govern- ment control. Seen here striking a jaunty pose are several members of the 1930-31 College Club. Stewart Hutchinson (front row, second from left) served as president when the club appropriated $25 to sponsor a college assembly featuring Carl Sandburg. With no photograph of the poet available, the yearbook documented the occasion with an artistic sketch.
On April I I, 1928, the newly organized Student Council met for the first time and elected officers. The council was composed of the two class presidents, two at-large members from the student body, and one representative from the first-year French club, sec- ond-year French club. College Club, Women’s Athletic Association, and men’s athletics. Front: Erma Schwab, Mary Clark, Mary Schuster, Charles McKeown. Back: Miss Jones (sponsor). Myrtle Patterson, Margaret O’Connell, Vernon Barnes, Albert Noble.
The group’s purpose was to “promote a better understanding between the faculty and the student body, and to advance student enterprises.” Although most meetings were devoted to discussing social activities, the council also addressed such issues as school spirit and campus restrictions. The latter issue appeared on the council’s agenda year after year. In its 1937 year-end report, for example, the Student Council observed;
JjC students have always had no place to go during free peri- ods except the library or room 235. . . . College students can- not be forced to study, but at present students are herded into the library or a study room and told that they must either study or be quiet. Whether right or wrong, the average student resents the implication that he is not capable of managing his own time. Present restrictions have created a constant mur- mur of discontent which has an effect on school spirit”
Although the council had been urging that a co-ed recreation room be provided for college students, the superintendent informed the council in May 1938 that two recreation rooms would be furnished the following year, one for men and the other for women. The Student Council lodged no protest but seemed willing to accept progress one step at a time.
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The college newspaper, The Blazer, was first published in October 1929. For almost thirty years, college news and announcements had appeared in the high school paper. The first Blazer staff is pictured here. Front; Herbert Trackman, Thelma Doerfler, Delores Kelly, Gail Yaggy, Kathryn Heath, Mary Wheeler, Jack Denver. Back: Mac Rae Shannon, Wilbur Lenander, Middleton Slack, Charles Matteson, William Mesenkop, Francis Cobb, Lois Hyde (faculty sponsor).
Like most college newspaper staffs in the 1 920s and ‘30s, The Blazer staff pushed for greater freedom to print material not pre-approved by faculty sponsors. Of course, the school administration disagreed. For example, on March 4, 1937, Dean Yaggy appeared before the Student Council and assert- ed that “all copy submitted to a newspaper should be cen- sored by a faculty member.” He stated that even university students at the freshman and sophomore levels are not mature enough to control such activities. The dean said he resented the suggestion that “there is too much faculty inter- ference in student affairs.”^
Faculty members were actively involved in both the academic and social lives of their students. A. Francis Trams chaired the English Department and sponsored such student groups as the Growlers and the College Club. He is pictured here in 1927 at work in the department office with his secretary, Gladys Robinson.
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In 1925, pre-medical students formed the Scalpel Club to learn more about the medical profession. Joliet doctors and other speakers addressed the club on a vari- ety of topics dealing with medicine and medical training. Three of the club’s officers, Grand Cadaver Julian Osman, Vice-Grand Cadaver Suren Seron, and Bone Collector Edna Ward, pursued medical careers after leaving JJC. In fact, the local newspaper later noted that Edna Ward was the first female student accepted by Northwestern University’s School of Medicine. Seron became a highly respected Joliet dentist and served for several years as a high school board member.
Ira D. Yaggy served as the first dean from 1 926 to 1947 and played a signifi- cant role in shaping the early development of the college. His other respon- sibilities included teaching classes in physics and chairing that department.
On December 14, 1928, drama students presented The Youngest, a comedy by Philip Barry. As was customary, the proceeds went to the College Loan Fund, which had been established by faculty members in 1916 to help students who needed financial assistance to continue their education. The cast pictured here included Elmer Rowley, next to whose formal yearbook picture the edi- tors had inscribed “Rudolph Valentino.” Interestingly, Rowley would return to JJC to serve as the college dean from 1 947 to 1 967 and as the college’s first president from 1 967 to 1 970.
i Prior to 1933, the junior college had no year- I book of its own. A small section in the back I of the high school yearbook was devoted to ' photographs and activities of college students. Pictured here is the staff responsible for ! preparing the college section of the 1 925 high ; school yearbook. Although few African- American and Hispanic students attended Joliet Junior College in the 1920s and ‘30s, i it is interesting to note that both editor-in-chief and the athletics ! editor were African-Americans,
1 Albert Dunham and Meredith I Cardwell, respectively.
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Since the birth of the college newspaper, The Blazer, coincided with the stock market crash and the onset of the Great Depression, many of the early stories mentioned the hard times experienced by students and staff alike. With truth lurking just beneath the surface. The Blazer ran the following tongue-in-cheek depression-related pieces:
No freshie, that’s not a poor farm delegation, just the JJC faculty — Not having been paid for four weeks and losing money in one, two, or three bank crashes, they are fighting to keep the wolf from the door.
There’s no cause for failure this semester, stu- dents; if the marks get low. Just bring the teacher a peck of potatoes or a couple of loaves of bread.
His gratitude will be sufficient to overcome your deficit in knowledge.^^
The college faculty is posed here during the Depression for its 1 93 1 yearbook picture. Front: Pauline Dillman, Dorothy Westendarp, Frank L. Fleener, Lois Hyde, Elizabeth Barns, Esther Richardson, E. S. McLain, Myra Mather, Harry D. Leinenweber. Middle: Marian McAnally, Lena M. Dickinson, Minnie Babcock, Harry Atkinson, E. C. Douglas, E. B. Brockett, A. Francis Trams, Ira D. Yaggy, C. M. Eggman, Thomas M. Deam, C. O. Burden, E. L. Mayo, Glenn A. Evans, Rawitch. Back: R. R. Robinson, E. M. Wells, E. A. Larson, Aubrey A. Wills, H. V. Givens.
Students coped with the economic problems of the 1 930s by plan- ning social events with a contemporary theme. A “Hard Times” dance in 1936 was held in the gym, suitably decorated with straggly streamers and a few balloons. The party-goers v/ore tattered and patched clothes and “dined” on sandwiches and milk. As members of the clean-up crew picked up dozens of half-eaten sandwiches, they decided that the refreshment committee had taken the depression theme a little toe. seriously.
During the Great Depression, the school had a difficult time meet- ing its payroll. The Board of Trustees occasionally resorted to skipping pay periods and also to paying part of employees’ wages (usually 1 0 percent) in scrip issued by the Joliet Clearing Association. The scrip was honored by many local merchants, who later redeemed it at face value when school funds were available.
During the difficult years of the Great Depression, junior college stu- dents achieved a significant milestone in establishing a unique identity with the publication of the first yearbook. When Donald Kroesch and Chester Sidell approached Dean Yaggy in the fall of 1932 about publishing a yearbook the following spring, economic conditions were grim at best. Although much of the school’s money was tangled up in a local bank, the students convinced Yaggy to support the project, and they ultimately succeeded in publishing a sixty-four page book.
Prior to 1933, a small section of the high school yearbook. The J, was devoted to the junior college. Pictured here is the staff of the
first J.C., in which was inscribed these words: “Louis Jolliet — a pio- neer! Joliet Junior College — a pioneer! And now, its Yearbook — a pioneer!” Front: Ruth Schumm, Alice Levine, Dorothy Densmore, Addis Pearson, Ruth Souvenier, Christine Schwartz, Donald Kroesch (business manager). Back: John Kenney, Miss Christine Bunch (sponsor), Gertrude Johannsen, Emma Seppe, Eleanor Ovington, Bernice Seaborg, Carolyn Low, Harriet Munch, Chester Sidell (editor), Ralph Barclay, William Pettigrew, Marcus Bluth, A. Clinton Leach.
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Right: For several years Walter Myers served as the faculty advisor and coach of the Debate Club.
The 1938 team pictured here won the state tournament, marking the fourth consecutive year the Joliet club captured the highest honor.
At the end of their successful sea- son, Coach Myers presented debate keys to the team. Seated: Clarence Rimke. Standing:
Orrin Long, Joe Deutsch, Clark Mottinger, Pershing Burgard, Walter Myers (coach).
Left: One of the most active and well-attended orga- nizations in the 1 930s was the Current Events Club. Under the leadership of faculty sponsor Harry D. Leinenweber, the club met weekly and discussed a variety of topics ranging from local issues, to the Great Depression, to the aggressive and peace-threat- ening behavior of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Seated: Dorothy Johnston, Melvin Witkin, William Hansen, unidentified, Clara Mores, Marilyn Rhodes, Helen Kelly. Standing: Eldafern Schwartz, Ruth Smith, Imogene Fraser, Mary Cattaneo, Dorothy Beeson, Mary Kavanaugh, Henry Newkirk, Floy Myers, Honora Blum, Ruth Scott, Helen Tokar, Dorothy Anderson, Kathleen Quigley, Fred Richards, Robert Klepper, Harry Leinenweber (sponsor).
Above: Miss Isabelle Boyd organized the Junior College Chorus in 1932. Three years later, the college began awarding chorus members one credit hour for each semester’s work. Rehearsals were held twice a week as the group prepared for performances both on and off campus. Participating in an exchange program, the chorus presented programs at other junior colleges in the Chicago area. Front: Eleanore Boldt, Eleanor Hoffman, Pauline Woodrow, Ruth Souvenier, Marion Holm, Guydell Schwartz, Evelyn Anderson, Ruth Jennings,
Mars Wiggam, Eileen Fetter, Audrey Thompson, Mariam Brereton. Back: Louis Booth, John Rix, Edward Moynihan, Darlene Spier, Richard Fahrner, Carl Keck, Edwin Henderson, Schieber, Benjamin Rauworth, Koenig, Lyons, Isabelle McGahey, Isabelle Boyd (director).
to learn the finer points of marksmanship from the ground up. Although the school provided the guns and firing range, each member furnished his own ammunition. The club practiced every Thursday evening under the watchful eye of facul- ty sponsor L. B. Aseltine. The members in 1937 are pictured here: Front: Julius Turk, L. B. Aseltine (sponsor), Freckleton, Steinquist, Harvey Goodspeed. Back: James Egan, Richard Dunn, Paul Deis, John Sandstrom.
Below: The Men’s Rifle Club was formed in 1936
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Athletic ‘Teams ‘TLounsheh ‘During ‘The Qreat ‘IDeffressionj,
During the 1930s, JJC’s intercollegiate athletic program enjoyed unprecedented success, especially in basketball. Joliet teams established their dominance in the Northern Illinois Conference early in the decade by winning conference championships in every major sport in 1930-31. Under Coach “Fizz” Wills, the basketball team posted ten wins and no
losses while the baseball team won all its conference i
J
games. The golf and tennis teams also went unde- j feated in conference play. All four teams proudly i placed championship trophies in the college case as a tangible testament to a remarkable year: JJC teams ; won every conference game and match they played.
The 1931 basketball team was undefeated in conference play. This outstanding squad was the first of eleven consecutive JJC teams to win the Northern Illinois Conference championship. Coach “Fizz” Wills remarked that “the will to win was never better exhibited than in this year’s College squad.”^^ Front: Thomas Conroy, Allan Hodge, Ernest Cohenour, Gordon Ellis, Martin Jackson. Back:
A. A. “Fizz” Wills (coach), Alex Stewart, William Carlson, Bernard Ward, Francis Flannigan, Francis Meyer, Lloyd Austin.
Conference champions in 1931, the baseball team is seen here with Coach Wills. In one of the season’s crucial games against a strong La Grange team, John Smarker (not pictured) struck out 19 players and walked none while win- ning 4 to 2 in 13 innings. Front: Francis Flannigan, Sherman Beecher, Leo Brown, Alex Stewart, Venus Sing. Back: James Bush, Gordon Ellis, Ernest Cohenour, Bernard Ward, Francis Meyer, Lloyd Sing, A. A. Wills (coach).
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1
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The 1931 tennis team post- ed a perfect mark in confer- ence play and won the championship trophy. Front: K. Powell, Glenn Henderson, Carl Van Horn, John Howk, Francis Blogg, Lloyd Austin (captain). Back: Coach Becker , John Baumgartner, Robert Hamlin, Edward Baskerville.
Although golf was a relatively new sport at JJC in 1931, the team won the conference championship with an unblemished record. Pictured here on the eighteenth green at Woodruff Golf Course are Hubert Zalar, Dick Stoltz, Thomas Conroy, and Tom Camp.
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Joliet basketball teams were not only extremely successful in winning conference titles in the 1930s, but beginning with the first State junior College Tournament in 1933, the Wolves also compiled an enviable record in state-wide play. Joliet won the inaugural state tournament in 1933 at La Grange and then went on to win the next two titles as well. The 1938 team again cap- tured the first-place trophy, which gave Joliet four state championships in a six-year period. The JJC squad is pictured here in action against La Grange in the opening game of the 1933 tournament.
Opening round of the 1933 state torunament: Joliet 36, La Grange 27.
Top: John Smarker, Jack Slattery, Irving Olson. Bottom: James Furlong, Carroll Bolton.
Coach A. A. “Fizz” Wills and the state championship trophy.
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Junior college students had the most contact with members of the administrative staff pic- tured here. Gathered in the superintendent’s office in 1937 are Grayce Stadler (secretary to the dean), Ira D. Yaggy (college dean), W. W. Haggard (superintendent), Myra Mather (dean of women), and Pauline Dillman (librarian).
This talented trio led the JJC Wolves to a state basketball title in 1938. At the end of the season, all three players were named to the All State Team.
Ray McGrath (top left) was team captain; Robert Archambeault (top right) played guard; and William Knowles (bottom) was the team’s leading scorer.
During his forty-eight years in Joliet, C. E. Spicer witnessed considerable change. Serving as an assistant to Superintendents Brown, Smith, and Haggard, he played an important role in the founding and early development of the nation’s first public junior college. Of course, Spicer himself also changed during that time. For example, in 1891 when Spicer arrived, he had hair - everywhere. When he retired in 1939, he “barely” needed a comb.
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CHAPTER 3
"Years of Challenge anb Change
1939-1961
a eadership in the Joliet superintendent’s position M changed much more frequently from 1939 to 1967 than it had during the earlier years. Whereas only three people had held the top job during the first thirty-eight years of the college’s existence, a succes- sion of six men administered the high school and junior college during the next twenty-eight. The fre- quent change in superintendents, especially from 1940 to 1950, came during the challenging years of World War II and its aftermath. Fortunately for JJC, remarkable stability existed in the office of college dean, an administrative position that became increas- ingly responsible for the operation of the college.
In 1939, the resignation of Superintendent W. W. Haggard after eleven years and the retirement of longtime Assistant Superintendent C. E. Spicer left a gaping hole in the administration. At its August meeting, the School Board hired C. L. Jordan to be the new superintendent. His most recent adminis- trative position had been at a manual training school in Louisville, Kentucky. Jordan’s status as a reserve officer in the United States Marine Corps would cut short his tenure as superintendent in Joliet. When school opened in September 1939, Germany had invaded Poland, and World War II had begun in Europe. Jordan resigned two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 when he was ordered to report for active duty.^
Dr. Leonard B. Wheat was released from his job at a defense plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to accept the superintendency in February 1942. The Board grant- ed Wheat’s early request to hire an assistant responsi- ble for revising the curriculum to* meet rapid social and educational changes occurring in the country. Roosevelt Basler, a doctoral candidate at Teachers College in New York, was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Guidance in June 1942. Six months later. Dr. Wheat resigned to take a superintendent’s job in Wichita, Kansas. With Wheat gone after eleven months, the School Board promoted Basler to the district’s top administrative post. The vacant office of curriculum and guidance was filled by Donald Sharpe, who had just received a doctorate
from the University of Illinois.^
Roosevelt Basler served as superintendent of the high school and junior college for three years but left in 1946 to take a government job as Chief of Instructional Problems in the United States Office of Education. Following recent practice, the Board offered Assistant Superintendent Sharpe the oppor- tunity to advance to the superintendency. Less than two years later, however, Sharpe resigned due to ill health. The position was next offered in 1947 to Hugh Bonar of Oak Park, Illinois. Bonar’s education- al career had been spent largely at schools in Wisconsin where he had been active in state educa- tional organizations and the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. He brought experience and stability to the superinten- dent’s position, qualities missing in previous years.^ In 1960, Bonar reached mandatory retirement age and was required to resign. His successor. Dr. William French, likewise brought stability and administrative competence to the position. French led the high school and college through troubled years of crowded conditions and economic distress. By the time he left in 1967, however, the future looked bright. The district had built two new high schools, and the college had achieved Class I legal status and was in the process of severing its sixty-six year relationship with Joliet Township High School.'^ Although certainly not insulated from the effects of frequent change in the superintendent’s position, JJC enjoyed unusual stability in the office of college dean. Ira D. Yaggy served twenty-one years as dean from 1926 to 1947, and he was followed for the next twenty by Elmer W. Rowley. The various superinten- dents accorded the dean and his assistants consider- able latitude in administering the college. From the students’ perspective, the dean ran the college, and the district superintendent was a shadowy figure in the background. In truth, perception mirrored reali- ty. Yaggy and Rowley exerted considerable influence in shaping the academic and social life of the college. Impersonal forces and world events were also impor- tant in influencing the development and direction of
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the college. Indeed, Pearl Harbor’s bombs had an immediate impact on JJC and the college community. Not only did the school lose its superintendent to the war effort, but the vast majority of college men and several college women entered the armed forces, too. Enrollment dropped dramatically to less than half the prewar number. Social and athletic activities were curtailed or canceled, and students found ways to volunteer their services on the homefront. A Civil Pilot Training Corps was established on campus, as were rifle teams for both men and women.®
Ammunition plants and other war-related indus- tries in the Joliet area begged for workers. The nation’s economy shook off the stubborn effects of the Great Depression; suddenly jobs were plentiful, and wages were high. Academic schedules were rewritten to accommodate working students who needed evening and weekend classes. New courses and train- ing programs were offered by science teachers to train I powder inspectors, gauge readers, and other employ- i ees in ordnance plants. The school also tapped the i talent of the Agriculture Department and participated I in the nation’s emergency food production program.® i The postwar period produced even more change I that profoundly transformed the character and mis- I sion of the college. In 1944, Congress passed the I Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, commonly known as : the GI Bill of Rights, that provided up to four years of ; educational benefits to veterans. The measure covered i occupational training as well as traditional academic ' programs. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, veterans : in the Joliet area began enrolling in large numbers.
: By the fall of 1946, almost 700 students, half of them veterans, had registered for classes. Just three years earlier, college enrollment had dipped to 179. In addi- I tion to the influx of GIs returning from war, the num- ' ber of traditional students also increased due to popu- lation growth. Faculty and facilities were taxed beyond their limits. The Board of Education respond- ed by establishing a $20 application fee, imposing enrollment restrictions, and granting admission pref- erence to in-district students.^
Veterans entered college with definite goals and a wide range of educational abilities. Some had been college students before the war while others were high school dropouts who gained admission by passing the General Education Development (GED) Test. Refresher courses were offered to those who needed to improve their mathematical and verbal skills before
taking advanced classes. For students uninterested in traditional academic programs, the college developed an On the Job Apprentice Training Program with courses in such areas as mechanics, painting, and plumbing, all covered by the GI Bill. “We must have both plumbers and philosophers - unless we provide quality education for both,” observed John Gardner, President of the Carnegie Foundation, “neither our pipes nor our ideas will hold water.” The war and its aftermath had created a need for technicians and workers with specialized training, and junior colleges adapted to meet the demand.®
What the Joliet community had known and expe- rienced for many years was validated in 1947 by President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education. The president appointed a group of twen- ty-eight leading educators to study higher education in America and to make recommendations on facili- ties, methods, and objectives. The Truman Commission’s three-volume report touched all aspects of higher education. It particularly recognized the importance of two-year colleges, especially in democ- ratizing education and making it readily available to the general public. Using the term “community col- lege,” the commission recommended that states estab- lish two-year public college systems offering afford- able education within easy access of all people. “Whatever form the community college takes,” stated the Truman Commission, “its purpose is educational service to the entire community. It should include preparation for advanced study, vocational and techni- cal programs, and community service. It should be dedicated to lifelong learning and be an active center for adult education.” The junior college was finally recognized as an important segment of higher educa- tion and was destined to play a major role in educat- ing the American people. Remarkably, it all began in Joliet in 1901 with six “postgraduate” students.®
When the Truman Commission issued its report in 1947, significant changes were occurring at Joliet Junior College. Hugh H. Bonar was hired as superin- tendent to replace Donald Sharpe, who had resigned for health reasons. Bonar brought stability to a dis- trict office that had seen four superintendents in the past eight years. However, Ira D. Yaggy retired in 1947, bringing to a close his twenty-one years as col- lege dean. Yaggy was highly regarded by students and staff alike. In fact, the first college yearbook, published in 1933, was warmly dedicated to Dean
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Yaggy with these words:
Realizing his sympathetic understanding, his affectionate interest, his gentle toleration toward the antics of Joliet Collegians, and his liberal attitude, we, the class of nineteen hun- dred and thirty-three, respectfully dedicate this first volume as a concrete manifestation of the monument we have built to him in our hearts and memories.
In view of ballooning postwar enrollments and the need to broaden the college curriculum, the Board of Education decided to replace Yaggy with two full-time administrators. Elmer W. Rowley was appointed Assistant Superintendent and Dean of the College, and Harry Leinenweber was named Assistant Dean. Leinenweber resigned the position after one semester and returned to the classroom as a social science instructor. In January 1948, Susan Wood replaced Leinenweber to serve as the dean’s assistant. The new dean, Elmer Rowley, was a 1929 graduate of JJC and for the previous five years had chaired the high school Agriculture Department. Moreover, he had started the Farmer’s Short Course and during the war, had admin- istered the school’s food production program.”
Elmer Rowley served as college dean from 1947 to 1967, during which time the institution continued evolving into a true community college with a com- prehensive program, including baccalaureate, voca- tional-technical, community service, and adult and continuing education courses. Whereas before World War II the school primarily had addressed the needs of transfer students, in the years that followed JJC made a concerted effort to serve the entire communi- ty. The curriculum became much more fluid as it adapted to the rapid social and economic changes of the postwar world. With encouragement and support from the dean, the faculty developed several new transfer and occupational programs. New transfer programs included agriculture, music, home econom- ics, and physical education for men and women. The two-year agriculture program was the first of its kind offered at an Illinois junior college. Programs added to the vocational and technical curricula included general business, merchandising, secretarial, auto- motive, drafting, electricity, mechanical and machine technology, printing, wood shop, office occupations, agriculture supply, and data processing.
In 1951, Rowley’s role was expanded to include Director of Adult Education, and he began offering a
variety of credit and non-credit courses designed for people of all ages with diverse interests. Classes ranged from knitting to cabinet making to foreign languages. Indeed, whether people in the community were interested in pursuing a hobby, sharpening a skill, or stimulating the mind, they could likely find something of interest in adult education. One of the most popular programs started in 1951 was the film- lecture series “The World Today.” Adult education classes and programs expanded so rapidly that in 1955 Floyd C. Tompkins was appointed to the full- time position of Assistant Dean and Director of Adult Education. The program continued to grow, ham- pered only by limited space and budget restrictions.^^
Campus social life and extracurricular activities also changed during the postwar era as veterans and other older students made their presence felt. Sharing a building with high school students and observing their regulations posed problems for col- lege administrators. For example, veterans insisted on having a place to smoke and relax when not in class. A special room known as the “smoker” was finally provided, as were a new lounge and a college cafeteria. Nearby restaurants and diners also attracted students for lunch and coffee breaks. These establishments had interesting names like the Goodie Shoppe, White Shingle, Lighthouse, Cuckoo Clock, and Blast Furnace. For students with cars who were willing to risk losing their parking places. Silver Fross Drive-In with carhop service was a few blocks away, and McDonald’s was a drive across town.
Students in the postwar period had ample oppor- tunity to develop leadership skills and enjoy campus social life by playing sports, participating in clubs, running for student council or class office, and plan- ning or attending dances, parties, and other special events. The Veteran’s Club was one of the largest on campus, especially after World War II and the Korean War. Clubs brought together students with special interests in such areas as agriculture, busi- ness, medical science, engineering, teaching, photog- raphy, chess, and motor sports. The Press Club gave students the opportunity to work on college publica- tions, while those interested in theatre could perform with the JC Players. Vocal and instrumental groups were organized for students with musical talent. Finally, intercollegiate sports, intramural sports, and various activities of the Women’s Athletic Association rounded out the many extracurricular opportunities
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available to JJC students.
During the 1940s, JJC joined with other junior colleges to press the Illinois General Assembly for state aid. Existing state law, passed in 1937, recog- nized the legal existence of junior colleges but provid- ed no source of revenue beyond local high school taxes, as noted in Chapter 2. With college enroll- ments dramatically increasing after the war, addi- tional funding was necessary. At that time, all junior colleges in the state were operated by public school districts and, with the exception of Wright in Chicago, were housed on high school campuses. In the face of increasing enrollments and escalating costs in the 1940s, junior colleges struggled to stretch their modest budgets.
The Illinois Association of Junior Colleges (lAJC), organized in the 1930s, took the lead on the legislative front to secure state funding. In 1943, the first step was taken by amending the Act of 1937 to permit school districts with junior colleges to establish by ref- erendum separate tax levies for college purposes. No record exists of the Joliet School Board ever consider- ing such a vote. In fact, only one district in the state took advantage of the law and conducted a referen- dum for college funding. School boards thought it would be easier to win public support to adjust high school levies than to establish new college taxes. In Joliet during the postwar years, no additional taxes for any purpose were welcomed by the voters.
Anticipating a sudden influx of postwar students, the LAJC began preparing legislation that would pro- vide state aid and encourage the creation of more junior colleges throughout the state. A measure introduced in the General Assembly in 1943 provided a state grant of $50 per student and encouraged the organization of new two-year colleges. The Joliet School Board sent a letter of support to Springfield, but the measure failed.^^ Later that year, the LAJC invited the University of Illinois to conduct a survey and make recommendations regarding a statewide plan for developing and supporting junior colleges. University Provost Dr. Coleman Griffith and research assistant Hortense Blackstone conducted the study and published their findings and recommendations in a 1945 book entitled The Junior College in Illinois. The study concluded that junior colleges should be expanded across the state within high school districts and should be funded by a combination of local taxes and state aid of $50 per full-time student. Further, a
State Board of Education should be established, said the report, with a State Superintendent of Public Instruction as the chief administrative officer. Based largely on these recommendations, the lAJC support- ed legislation to encourage the creation of new junior colleges as part of the common school system, with modest state funding based on student enrollment. Bills were introduced in 1945, 1947, and 1949, but each one failed to pass the General Assembly. The 1949 effort was defeated in the Senate by one vote.^® With no resources available from the state in the 1940s, Joliet Township High School and Junior College began to feel a financial strain. In fact, the local grade school district as well as the high school and college experienced serious budget problems. During the 1950s, studies were conducted and pro- posals were advanced to put Joliet schools, including the junior college, on sound financial footing. A plan to introduce greater efficiency and economy to area schools by creating a unit district was rejected by vot- ers in a 1952 referendum. A survey conducted three years later concluded that, indeed, a unit district should be established in the Joliet area. It was unclear how the junior college would be affected if the high school district disappeared and became part of a unit system. Would the college have to be reestab- lished by public referendum, and would it go out of existence until such a measure was passed? There were no clear answers to these questions.^®
Meanwhile, at the state level, the Illinois Association of Junior Colleges continued its efforts in the 1950s to secure state aid for junior colleges. Although a bill was passed in Springfield in 1951 that legally recognized junior colleges as part of the com- mon school system, there was no provision for fund- ing. Supporters of the measure were encouraged, however, since they believed that state resources would follow the statutory linkage of junior colleges with public schools. The 1951 law did contain a provi- sion permitting high school districts with no junior college to levy a tax to pay tuition for residents attending any junior college in the state. Lockport was one of the few districts to approve such a tax.
During the 1950s, Joliet educators came to the forefront in the state junior college movement. In 1953, JJC’s Elmer Rowley and David Heffernan of Chicago were appointed to lead the lAJC’s new leg- islative committee. Focusing its efforts on state fund- ing, the committee mounted a campaign to publicize
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the economic benefit to the state of supporting junior college education. For example, if the state granted junior colleges $100 for a full-time student, the cost would be about one-ninth as much as funding stu- dents attending state colleges and universities. Although Governor Stratton did not support the leg- islative efforts of the Illinois Association of Junior Colleges, he did appoint a blue-ribbon panel in 1954 to study higher education in Illinois. Joliet Superintendent Hugh Bonar was appointed to the Higher Education Commission and served on the subcommittee dealing with the expansion of junior colleges in the state.
At last, in 1955, Illinois legislators were willing to share state resources with junior colleges. Although the lAJC had asked for a funding formula of $200 for each full-time student, the law provided only $100 per student. Dean Rowley was present in the gover- nor’s office when the landmark legislation was signed. At its next biennial session, in 1957, the General Assembly increased the reimbursement for- mula to $200 as recommended by the report of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education. The commission’s report also renewed public interest in creating a state-wide system of junior colleges; it rec- ommended that junior colleges should be established within commuting distance of every high school grad- uate in Illinois. After consulting Dr. Robert Johns, chairman of the commission. Dean Elmer Rowley and Assistant Superintendent James H. Cherry, both of Joliet, drafted a bill that would encourage the cre- ation of junior college districts throughout the state. Joliet-area Representative Louis Bottino introduced the measure, which passed in July 1959. For the first time, separate junior college districts were autho- rized in Illinois. The state apportionment formula also changed in 1959 from a flat $200 per full-time student to a grant of $7.60 for each semester credit hour taken by students.
Although JJC began receiving state funds in the mid-1950s, the school district continued to struggle with tight budgets and space shortages. Especially pressing was the need for additional room and resources to develop vocational and technical pro- grams. Buildings across Jefferson Street that housed the Vocational Department were crowded and dilapi- dated. In 1955, voters decisively defeated a referen- dum for a new vocational-technical building. Another attempt the following year produced success but with
a scaled-down version of the original plan. The White Shingle, a popular student hangout for many years, was razed to make way for the new building at the corner of Van Buren and Collins Streets.^®
The new vocational-technical facility brought some relief in 1958 to crowded conditions, but the problem persisted as high school and college enroll- ments continued to climb. One School Board member suggested that perhaps it was time to separate the college from the high school as provided in the law written by Rowley and Cherry, but the rest of the Board rejected the notion. Superintendent Bonar floated a plan at a study session that envisioned a county-wide school system with one board adminis- tering all levels of education from kindergarten through junior college. The proposal quietly died for lack of interest. Another attempt by a community group to establish a unit district was also voted down in a 1960 referendum.^®
The new superintendent. Dr. William C. French, recommended that the Board hold a referendum to i build two freshman-sophomore feeder schools that j would each accommodate 1,500 students. District i voters defeated the proposition in May 1961. With 5,000 students crowded into a building designed for 3,500, the Board turned to a team of consultants from I Northwestern University to study the district and propose a course of action. Lead consultant Dr. Jack Childress recommended that two four-year schools be built immediately and that eventually a separate junior college for 2,000 students be constructed on the far west side of town near the stadium. In December 1961, a referendum was passed to build Joliet West and Joliet East High Schools. Two Board members suggested that the building on the east side of town should house the junior college instead of a high school. Other members did not agree; after all, voters had approved two new high schools.^®
The new schools opened in the fall of 1964 and immediately solved the problem of space, but, at the same time, exacerbated the district’s financial woes. Not enough money existed to staff and operate three high schools and a rapidly growing junior college. State funding was not nearly enough to operate the col- i lege, nor were the incidental fees paid by students, j Superintendent French advised the School Board that i a 1963 law permitted districts like Joliet to levy college ! taxes simply by passing a resolution. However, if 10 ; percent of the district’s eligible voters filed a petition
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within thirty days challenging the resolution, the Board would then have to conduct a public referendum. The School Board passed a tax resolution to levy 17.5 cents for a college education fund and 7.5 cents for a building fund. A petition drive was soon underway organized by local politicians Sammy Berk and Arthur O’Neil. The petitions submitted to the Board were not notarized and therefore were of questionable legality. “Petitions being submitted that are not verified,” said one Board member, “it sickens me.” Nevertheless, the Board decided to hold a referendum.^^
On November 21, 1964, voters rejected college tax levies by a 2-1 margin. The Board decided it was time to begin charging in-district students tuition. Although township residents had been charged a fee of $35 during the Great Depression and war years, this fee had been discontinued in 1949. This time the tuition fee had the feel of permanence. Beginning with the 1965 spring semester, a tuition payment of $7 per semester hour was required. Non-resident students paid a higher rate of $21.93 an hour. Before the fall semester began, rates were raised to $10 per hour for in-district students and $30 for non-resi- dents. The only students who attended free were those who lived in Lockport and had their tuition paid through a special tax.^^
Despite the new tuition revenue, the future of the college still looked bleak. At the June 1965 Board meeting. Superintendent French reported that the district was in “alarming financial condition,” caused primarily by the cost of operating the college. Additional funds were immediately needed if the dis- trict wished to continue operating JJC. “It would be very unfortunate,” observed one Board member, “if this, the first junior college in the nation, should also become the first in the nation to disband because of public apathy.” The Board again decided to try levy- ing college taxes by resolution. Once again. Berk and O’Neil launched a petition drive to challenge the tax resolution and require a referendum. This time, the petitions were even more questionable than before. As many as 3,000 of the 8,200 signatures were obvi- ously invalid or fraudulent. For example, all the names on several sheets appeared to be in the same handwriting, and most of the petitions had not been signed and verified by the person circulating them. Disappointed and disgusted, the Board submitted the petitions to the state’s attorney for appropriate legal action and proceeded to conduct another referendum.
despite the irregularities. On September 7, 1965, voters again soundly defeated the proposed junior college levy. The state’s attorney reported that although wrongdoing was clearly evident, there was no reasonable recourse for legal remedy.^^
The Board of Education persisted in its efforts to raise taxes and went back to the voters in September 1966, this time asking for an increase in the high school levy from 84 to 98 cents. The public was just as persistent in rejecting these taxes, too. The Board pres- ident remarked that “the general lack of concern on the part of the community has placed the district in a need- lessly crippled situation.” Steps were immediately taken to cut costs by curtailing the school program. All buildings were closed on weekends and at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays; the evening school and adult education pro- grams were reduced to two nights a week, with all evening classes canceled on the east and west campus- es. Extracurricular activities were seriously curtailed for both high school and college students. For example, all school-sponsored dances on and off campus were prohibited. Furthermore, the Board announced that additional cuts would soon be announced.^^
The district’s financial problems were especially onerous to faculty members and other school employ- ees who year after year received little or no salary increase. Since Joliet was a blue-collar community with a strong union tradition, it is not surprising that school employees organized to improve working condi- tions. Teachers were much slower to unionize than maintenance workers, who reported to the Board in January 1939 that a majority of them had joined a local union affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers, A. F. of L. Beginning in 1947, union teachers became active in making their requests known to the School Board. During the 1950s and early ‘60s, union membership increased as high school and college teachers left the Teacher’s Association, an Illinois Education Association (IE A) affiliate, and joined Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). For several years, the two groups worked together to jointly pre- sent salary and benefit proposals to the School Board.^® As its membership grew in the 1960s, the teach- ers’ union became more active in unilaterally press- ing for improvements in salary and benefits. Differences and divisions between the association and union were becoming more apparent and more public. At an April 1966 Board meeting, Robert
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Burke, President of AFT Local 604, read a statement pointing out that teachers had worked for two years without a raise and that there would be “serious con- sequences” if there was no increase the next year. During the following month, the union presented a bargaining rights petition requesting an election to name a teachers’ organization as the sole bargaining agent for all faculty members. The lEA-affiliated Teacher’s Association objected, claiming that such action was ill-advised and illegal. The School Board twice rejected the request before finally consenting in October 1966 to a collective bargaining election. In a secret ballot, high school and college faculty chose AFT Local 604 to be their sole bargaining agent. The Board approved a temporary agreement to negotiate with representatives of the teachers and to enter into a formal contract with the faculty on January 20, 1967. When no agreement was reached by that date, union members voted to strike on January 25. School lawyers went to court and obtained an injunction to end the strike; however, teachers ignored the injunc- tion and continued the work stoppage. With the Joliet Ecumenical Clergy Association acting as an intermediary, the two sides reached an agreement and ended the strike. On April 11, 1967, the Board of Trustees ratified a formal contract with high school and college faculty represented by AFT Local 604.^®
While the Joliet high school and junior college dis- trict was struggling with finances and employee unrest, the General Assembly passed the Junior College Act of 1965. The master plan for junior col- leges under the new law offered a partial solution to the district’s problems. If JJC became a separate Class I college as defined by the statute, the state would pay three-fourths of the cost to acquire a site and build a campus. It would also reimburse the col- lege at a rate of $11.50 for each semester credit hour earned by students. Furthermore, the creation of an expanded junior college district would broaden the tax base and lower the tax rate. If under the 1965 law the college retained a Class II standing, it was entitled to only $9.50 per credit hour. In order to achieve Class I status, a feasibility study would have to be conducted, district boundaries established, and a tax rate set. An application would have to be approved by the Illinois Junior College Board and the Board of Higher Education, followed by a successful referendum in the proposed district.
A Coordinating Council on Education, composed
of some twenty civic and social organizations and headed by George Travers, developed a three-part plan for dealing with the financial crisis in Joliet’s public schools, from elementary through junior col- lege. Concerned citizens and school leaders would make a concerted effort, first, to pass tax referen- dums for both the grade school and high school dis- tricts; second, to establish a Class I junior college; and finally, to pass a bond issue for new elementary classrooms. The committee stressed the importance of everyone working equally hard on all three propo- sitions. Local attorney and JJC graduate Kenneth Timm chaired the subcommittee responsible for cre- ating a Class I junior college district. A broad-based committee representing several communities in the Joliet region studied the matter and proposed that a Class I college be created from twelve high school dis- tricts encompassing all or part of Will, Grundy, Kendall, Kankakee, and LaSalle Counties. The com- mittee proposed a tax rate of 9.5 cents, among the lowest of any junior college district in the state. Certainly, this would be a selling point to Joliet vot- ers who had turned down two junior college tax levies in the past three years. The state quickly approved the committee’s plan; now it was up to the voters.^® John Racich, a Joliet banker and college alumnus, led the drive to publicize the plan and encourage vot- ers throughout the proposed district to support the proposition. Max Kuster, a junior college instructor and Chairman of the Research and Information Committee, helped recruit speakers and mobilize vol- unteers. On December 10, 1966, an unprecedented 20,000 Joliet voters turned out and passed the grade school and high school referendums by the slim mar- gin of 200 votes. Buoyed by its initial success, the Coordinating Council on Education next focused its efforts on the junior college referendum two months later. On February 18, 1967, America’s oldest public junior college attained Class I legal status by an overwhelming total of 20,043 to 5,032 votes. JJC’s future looked much brighter.^®
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CoLLe^e ^^ministration: 1339-1961
Joliet Junior College experienced a period of chal- lenge and change between 1939 and 1967. During this critical time in the school’s development, six dif- ferent people served as superintendent of Joliet Township High School and Junior College. The superintendents devoted most of their time to admin- istering the high school and delegated to the college
dean and his assistants the responsibility for operat- ing the college. Leadership of the college during these years remained stable. Ira D. Yaggy served as dean from 1926 to 1947, followed by Elmer Rowley from 1947 to 1967. During Rowley’s tenure as dean, he was assisted by Susan Wood, Walter Zaida, and Floyd Tompkins.
C. L. Jordan, Superintendent, 1939-41
Dr. Leonard B. Wheat,
Superintendent, 1 942-43
Dr. Roosevelt Basler,
Superintendent, 1 943-46
Donald M. Sharpe, Superintendent,
1946-47
Elmer W. Rowley, Dean, 1947-67
Hugh H. Bonar, Superintendent,
1 947-60
Dr. William C. French,
Superintendent,
1960-67
Susan Wood, Assistant Dean, 1948-67
Ira D. Yaggy, Dean, 1926-47
Floyd Tompkins, Assistant Dean and Director of Adult Education, 1955-67
Walter F. Zaida, Assistant to the Dean, 1961-67
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Secretaries
In 1967, secretaries Edith Stewart and Helen Ford offered friendly and professional assistance to students and staff alike. They and others like them in administrative and department offices were important in the day-to-day operation of the college.
Dean Elmer Rowley’s secretary, Sondra Flint, is pictured here in 1961.
The 1943 yearbook was dedicated to Grayce Stadler, the attractive, personable secretary to Dean I. D. Yaggy. Because of her position in the dean’s office. Miss Stadler frequently dealt with students who needed questions answered and problems solved. Next to her photograph on the dedication page, the class of ’43 expressed its “sin- cerest appreciation” to Grayce, who “aids us in every way” and always with a “gracious smile.” Seven years later, the Class of 1 949 also dedicated its yearbook to Miss Stadler, citing her “kindness, understanding, and friendship” as the reason for the honor.^“
In 1967, Grayce Stadler (seated) was still assisting students as an administrative secretary, as was Claire Poole (standing).
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Custodians and maintenance men kept the building in tip- top shape. Seated around the table are John Anderson, Andy Zahm, Vince Smith, William Jackson, Raymond Becker, Otto Pearson, Herbert Forsell, and building policeman Lawrence Anderson. Standing are Harry Johnson and John Krakar. Although their work i was often routine and per- formed when few people were around, occasionally they were required to deal with monumental messes created by large crowds or Mother Nature.
Custodians
Pictured here is the woodshop floor buckled by floodwaters in July 1957. Surveying the damage and the magnitude of the cleanup is Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Bror Anderson (white shirt).
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'M^orLh 'War // Impacts JJC
World War II had a tremendous impact on the history and development of the college, even greater than World War I some twenty-five years earlier. The shock waves of Pearl Harbor’s bombs were virtually felt in the hallways and classrooms of Joliet Junior College. In less than two years, enrollment dropped from 387 students to 179, most of whom were women.
Approximately 300 JJC students served in the armed forces during the war. So few men were left on campus that even the school’s highly successful basket- ball program was dropped in 1943. Red Cross meetings became commonplace as students at home looked for ways to support the war effort. History classes sold War Savings Stamps, and special parties were held to honor servicemen and women home on furlough.
The war ended the lingering effects of the Great Depression in the Joliet area by creating numerous jobs in war-related industries. Workers were especial- ly needed in the nearby ordnance plants and shipyard. Twilight, evening, and weekend classes were added to the schedule to accommodate students who decided to
work. The school’s Science and Agriculture -i Departments provided training and technical assis- ’ tance during the war. Science instructors R. L. i Frisbie, C.M. Eggman, and Everett Nelsen taught | intensive classes to train gauge readers and powder inspectors. With much of the male labor force depleted by the war, an increasing number of women found employment outside the home. In fact, one training class in the manufacture of explosives was attended entirely by females employed in ammunition plants.
In 1942, the head of vocational education. Drew - Castle, was named Supervisor of Defense and placed i in charge of developing special classes to produce items and commodities needed for the war. During the following year, the high school and junior college became a center for the production and canning of food. Elmer Rowley, Chair of the high school Agriculture Department, administered the school’s overall food program that included instruction in planting “victory gardens,” instruction in food produc- | tion, and the operation of three centers for canning I
Science instructors Eggman, Frisbie,
Nelsen, and Larson.
Student Federalists in 1947. Standing: Marjorie Parkhurst, Robert Smolich, Madeline Niznik, Edward Bergquist, Lloyd Raridon, Richard Briick, Florine Klatt, Reichman, Lloyd Howerton. Seated: Elizabeth Barns (faculty sponsor).
Employees of the Elwood Ordnance Plant near Joliet are seen assembling boosters for shells during World War II.
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■fe ‘7 ' 7 • ■■ j* >7v7 7 7, .,■ 7
fruits, vegetables, and meats.^^
On campus, students became actively involved in the National Defense Program. The 1942 college yearbook proudly announced that JJC men were preparing to defend the country “with wings and rifles” and that JJC women were also doing their part with a rifle team. A Civil Pilot Training Corps was established on campus with ten men and two alternates receiving instruction to eventually earn their wings and enter the Army Air Corps. A men’s rifle team was organized under the supervision of ROTC instructors for the purpose of “hit [ting] the foe with a blitzkreig which our enemy has invented to add our country to their long list of prey.”®^ The prox- imity of Joliet to nearby ammunition plants kept the city on alert during the early phase of the war. In January 1942, the School Board cooperated with civil defense efforts by designating the cafeteria as an emergency hospital. On April 24, 1942, an air raid drill was conducted on campus. When the sirens began to wail, students quickly left their classes and
marched downstairs to lower corridors, where they stood in hallways away from glass until the “all clear” was sounded.^^
In social science classes, students sold war stamps and discussed the causes of the war and what could be done to prevent such a crisis in the future. Some students were drawn to the idea that extreme nation- alism had contributed to the war and that lasting peace could be achieved only through the creation of a federal world government. Under the direction of faculty sponsor Elizabeth Barns, an organization called Student Federalists was established in 1947. The group explained in a letter to The Blazer that “Student Federalists believe that the world has become a single great community, and it will either be united under law or destroyed by an atomic or bac- teriological war.” Indeed, individual students and the college as a whole adapted and responded to the eco- nomic, social, ideological, and military challenges of World War lU*
Students quickly moved from classrooms to basement corridors during a 1942 air raid drill.
Civil Pilot Training Corps members James Scofield, Raymond Herkert, James MacDonald, August Perino, John Airoldi, Robert Cirasole, Warren Armstrong, Lambert, and Leo Fay.
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In- Line "T^e^istration
Students who stood in long, slow-moving lines to register for classes would be envious, indeed, of today’s students who use home computers to register online. The first step in the registration process was to choose a major and select courses that fit the desired program. Prior to the mid-1950s, all students met with the college dean to make out a schedule of
classes. Six faculty advisors were appointed in 1955 | to assist students in developing class schedules designed to achieve their educational goals. Over the years, the number of advisors increased in proportion | to college enrollment and the popularity of programs, j With schedule in hand, students stood in line outside the college library on registration day and waited j
Georgina Smith (left) was one of the original advisors appointed in 1955. She is pictured here in 1 963 with Vera Smith (right), who also advised students in the pre-education curriculum.
In 1963, the business and pre-commerce programs were popular with students who were assigned to one of the advisors seen here: Elmer Jamnik, John Birkholz, John Corradetti, and Lola A. Emery.
Assistant deans Walter Zaida and Susan Wood are seen helping Dean Elmer Rowley (seated) prepare materials for Station I on registration day. I
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Year after year, little changed — except larger enrollments and longer lines.
their turn to enter the door, only to wait some more. Snaking their way from station to station, they learned lessons in patience and disappointment. Sometimes, classes were closed or canceled, and it was necessary to revisit the advisor and start all over again. What a relief to finally reach the last station, even if it was the cashier ready to take that hard-
earned money. Whenever students wrote retrospec- tives in yearbooks and other publications, they vivid- ly recalled the registration ordeal and the long, inter- minable lines. These reminiscences usually conclud ed with the sentiment, “There must be a better way!”
Students stood in line out- side the college library and filled out last-minute forms while waiting their turn to register for classes.
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Once inside the registration area, students slowly moved from table to table, sometimes discovering that a class was closed or a prerequisite had not been met.
The final step in the registration ordeal was fittingly the most painful — paying the bill.
“Who’s next? Sorry, you’re in the wrong line. You should be over there!”
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‘Tarkin^
Parking problems grew steadily worse as enrollment increased and students became more affluent and mobile. A student-faculty committee in 1959, for example, determined that there were eighty-five parking spaces available for students. The criteria estab- lished for issuing permits gave priority to stu- dents who commuted to classes from out- side the district. Other factors considered were health conditions, married students with jobs, and service to the college. A 1964 survey found that half of the students owned cars and drove to school. From the stu- dents’ perspective, it seemed that “No Parking” signs were much more plentiful than places to park. Taking a chance on parking illegally meant risking a dreaded $3 ticket or, worse yet, a towed car and a steeper fine. The Blazer empathized with frustrated students, com- plaining that there were “cars, cars everywhere, but not a place to park.””
'^ooAs
During the years that JJC shared facilities with the high school, there was no college bookstore. The Student Council often oper- ated a book exchange that facili- tated the buying and selling of used books. Students would drop off their books, appropriate- ly marked with a selling price. If the books were sold, 1 0 percent was deducted from the seller’s proceeds and placed in a scholar- ship fund for a needy sophomore student. Jim Arnold is seen here assisting Karen Brode in 1963.
m-m
3chooL ‘Ticmc
The first social activity of the school year was the annual picnic at Inwood Park. After a variety of get- acquainted activities and team games, such as tug-of- war, a traditional picnic dinner of barbecues, sand-
wiches, beans, potato salad, and cake was served. Table conversation often turned to class schedules and the frustration of registration. The evening usu- ally ended with a college “mixer” or dance.
The fall picnic during registration week was a time for students to enjoy themselves and establish new friendships. The young men seen here amuse a female companion by demonstrating various methods of opening a soft drink without a bot- tle opener.
I
Seated near to far on right, students Donna Swinford, Verna Pretty, and Joyce Speckman shared a table with faculty member Steve Lenich and his wife in 1961.
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Playing tug-of-war at the 1 970 picnic got a little muddy . . .
. . . really muddy!
Diane Isberg, Bev Bettenhausen, Sandy Starr, Wilma Schuldt, and Barb Butterfield added a secret ingredient to the beans at the 1 959 picnic.
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Tocus on "Tacult^
Max Kuster explains to his students in 1963 why this Deere has not been “running like a deer.”
In 1965, Lloyd Zimmer shows students how to make an adjustment in machine shop.
Department Chair and advisor Al Racchini uses a hands-on method to teach auto shop in 1968.
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In 1961, under the watchful eye of instructor Renee Slatton (hidden from view), Sandy Balog, Joyce Speckman, and Sally Booth work on a recipe in a home economics class.
Mrs. Barbee demonstrates the art of sewing with a Singer in a clothing con- struction class in 1 966.
JjC partnered with Silver Cross Hospital to offer general education and science classes to student nurses. Pictured here in 1963 are Patricia Christensen, Sharon DePratt, and Lareene Haas.
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Members of the Social Science Department hold a meeting in 1942: Harry D. Leinenweber, Glenn Evans, Elizabeth Barns, C. O. Burden, and Olin McReynolds.
J
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Erma Smith, Paul Lester, Bruce Houseknecht, and Catherine Wood of the Fine Arts Department pose for a yearbook picture in 1948.
In 1950, child education students Roberta Morrissey and Estelle Voira work with young- sters in the new nursery school operated byJJC as a training center for cur- riculum enhancement.
Catherine Adler announces the term paper due date to her fresh- man rhetoric class in 1966.
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Ted Thompson makes a point in his rhetoric class in 1968.
In 1968, English Department Chair Robert Burke conducts a lecture in American literature.
Art Department Chair Earl Kurtz demonstrates his own artistic ability in 1967.
Although nude models were not yet used in 1967, the subject’s attire reveals the lines and curves of the human body for student artists learning to draw.
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Instructor Ed Puddicombe introduces students in his 1 960 physiology class to “George” and “Henrietta,” two models who are nothing but bones.
The distinct smell of rotten eggs often emanated from the “department of odors and vapors.” Peering in for a closer look, these students are fortu- nately wearing their safety glasses.
Chemistry instructor Duane Converse conducts an experiment in 1 967.
Everett Nelsen points out the internal fea- tures of a frog’s anatomy to zoology students Ken Bromberek and Mary Ann Lambakis.
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Sitting at his desk in 1967, math instructor Si Ellingson answers a student’s question.
In 1968, James Egly consults his notes in Economics 101.
Art Wagner, Chair of the Biological Sciences Department, responds to a student question in 1968.
Economics instructor and assistant football coach William Brinkman explains the principle of supply and demand to his class in 1967.
In 1961, Elsa E. Schilling uses records in her German class to help students with proper pronunciation.
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Under the supervision of librarian Lottie Skidmore, students use “listening posts” in the college library to reviev^ material for language and music classes.
Some students pre- ferred studying out- side the library away from the watchful gaze and occasional “ssshhh” of librarian George Fox.
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The college library was remodeled from time to time to improve lighting and expand shelf space for the growing collection. Doing research for a class report or term paper kept some students working right up to closing time at 9:00 p.m. Bill Cernugel con- sults a book in the reference section, while Kaye Krohn checks the card catalogue. There were no interlibrary loan services or online sources available to students at this time.
I he Smoker
In 1947, The Blazer announced under the heading “Believe It or Not” that a smoking room had been established for college students in the custodian’s office. Noting that smoking had always been a very serious offense, the article explained that the “great change in attitude” was due largely to the number of returned servicemen on campus to whom “smoking has become a near necessity.” Although initially restricted to male students, within a few years the “smoker” was relocated, refurnished, and opened to women. A TV was installed in 1955, a welcome addi- tion to the room’s “creature comforts.” The Blazer
periodically scolded the few creatures who littered the room and misused the furniture and pointedly sug- gested that they “treat it as civilized people would.”®® The college smoker was one of the most popular and controversial places on campus. It served as a place to relax and socialize and to have a quick smoke and a Coke before class. For others, it became a hangout and a place to play cards when “ditching” class. School administrators kept an eye on the room, sometimes breaking up card games and admonishing players that it was time to shuffle off to class. When the music and noise got too loud or the ^
Seats in the smoker were often at a premium, causing some to peer in and pass by.
Desperate times called for desperate measures — the smoker had been administratively closed until further notice.
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A smoke and a Coke, then off to class.
Final exam week created anxiety and extreme nervous- ness in the smoker.
litter on the floor got too deep, the smoker would be suddenly closed until further notice. Inevitably, stu- dents would complain. The Blazer would lecture read- ers on keeping butts and Coke cups off the floor, and the Student Council would hold meetings with administrators to negotiate the reopening of the room.^'^
A reporter for The Blazer captured the ambiance of the smoker prior to a temporary closing in 1961: “Through the thick white film of smoke, dim figures could be seen clapping hands and beating their feet in rhythm with the record ‘Runaround Sue.’ In short.
it was paradise complete.” The same writer noted that when the “cough chamber” was reopened two days later, someone had put a sign on the window: “Please Do Not Feed The Animals.” In 1962, the smoker was closed for a month, during which time a survey was conducted to determine whether students really wanted such a place. The result was a resounding 94 percent in favor of its reopening. Clearly, students in the ‘60s were not interested in a smoke free-campus.®**
Topics of Conversation in the Smoker and Lounge
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Top Tunes |
Maior Movies |
|
1955 |
Rock Around the Clock Ain’t That A Shame Love is a Many Splendored Thing |
Marty Mister Roberts The Rose Tattoo |
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1956 |
Hound Dog Blue Suede Shoes Tutti Frutti |
Around the World in 80 Days The Ten Commandments The King and I |
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1957 |
All Shook Up Bye Bye Love Wake Up Little Susie |
The Bridge on the River Kwai Peyton Place Twelve Angry Men |
|
1958 |
At the Hop Great Balls of Fire All I Have to Do is Dream |
Gigi Cat on a Hot Tin Roof The Defiant Ones |
|
1959 |
Mack the Knife There Goes My Baby Smoke Gets in Your Eyes |
Ben Hur The Diary of Anne Frank Anatomy of a Murder |
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1960 |
Its Now or Never Only The Lonely Kathy’s Clown |
The Apartment Elmer Gantry Psycho |
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1961 |
Moon River Are You Lonesome Tonight Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow |
West Side Story The Hustler Judgment at Nuremburg |
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1962 |
I Can ’t Stop Loving You The Loco-Motion Let’s Twist Again |
Lawrence of Arabia The Music Man To Kill a Mockingbird |
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1963 |
She Loves You Ifl Had a Hammer It’s My Party |
Tom Jones Cleopatra How the West Was Won |
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1964 |
I Want to Hold Your Hand Walk on By Can ’t Buy Me Love |
My Pair Lady Becket Mary Poppins |
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1965 |
The Times They Are A - Changin ’ California Girls A Hard Day’s Night |
The Sound of Music Doctor Zhivago Ship of Pools |
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College Lounge anh Cafeteria
Originally known as the rec (recreation) room, the college lounge had a different look and smell than the smoker. It was one of the favorite places on campus for students to gather. Some socialized with friends, others did their homework at one of the tables, and still others sat quietly as spectators of student life. Occasionally, someone who had studied or partied long into the night could be seen taking a nap.
In 1952, some students campaigned to have a TV installed in the lounge, especially since school author- ities were cracking down on playing cards. The Blazer joined the debate and wondered “whether tele- vision would be damaging to the morals of the college students.” The liquor advertisements and portrayal of crime on the screen might contribute to a “distort- ed code of morals,” observed the writer. Despite these dangers, a TV was purchased for the lounge in 1953, and then the subject turned to daytime program- ming. What would the students watch? The choices ranged from the Arthur Godfrey Show to Ding Dong Nursery School. Students learned the art of compro-
mise whenever there were disagreements in program selection. When the TV was new and still a novelty, there was often more “sshhing” in the lounge than in the library.®®
Student behavior in the college lounge sometimes became an issue. Feet on the furniture and filth on the floor brought reprimands from school administra- tors. Occasionally, the room was temporarily closed until student leaders addressed the problem. Following a $4,000 renovation in 1955, students were informed that now they were expected to be on their very best behavior. For several weeks, the student council arranged “hosts” for the lounge to monitor its use and to remind users that this room was a privi- lege and not an entitlement. The lounge was described as the heart of the college socially, one of the first places that students looked when trying to locate their friends. Pictured in the top photo on the opposite page is the reception held to celebrate the opening of the remodeled lounge in 1955.^“
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During the early 1960s, several changes were made in the annu- al graduation ceremony. The college discontinued the practice of holding a combined ceremony with high school seniors in an outdoor setting at the stadium and began conducting separate graduation exercises in the school auditorium. The new format featured student speakers as well as prominent guests. Pictured herein 1964 is student speaker Janice Johnson. After all the
awards were given and the speeches were made, Dr. Suren Seron, President of the Board of Education, presented diplomas to the proud graduates. Among the first to cross the stage and accept the congratulations of Assistant Dean Susan Wood, Dean Elmer Rowley, and Dr. Seron are Carol Sue Burnham and William Ciluffo.
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When the college lounge was refur- bished in 1955, some of the old furni- ture was moved to the hallway. These chairs became a gathering place for “arm-chair Romeo’s,” as the Blazer called them, to engage in “girl watching” from the “spectator’s row.” Female students complained that the arrange- ment was more like Skid Row. “I think it’s awful,” said one female student. “It’s horrible - it’s just like going through a line-up,” said another. After a couple of years and growing complaints, the row of chairs was removed.'"
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Until 1959, junior college students ate in the high school cafeteria on the fourth floor at five reserved tables known as “JC corner.” Complaints were voiced in the college paper that there was insuffi- cient space during the busy noon hour. In the fall of 1959, a sepa- rate college cafeteria seen here was established on the second floor, where food was brought from the upstairs kitchen by heated carts and a dumbwaiter. Coffee and rolls were served during the
morning hours and then lunch until 1:30 p.m. Although the facili- ties were new and much appreciated, students still grumbled that the cooks found a thousand-and-one ways to prepare hamburger. The lunch of choice for most students was barbecue on bun with apple pie or ice cream for dessert. The new cafeteria became a favorite place to socialize during the morning hours or to study while having a cup coffee.
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'Tooh anb "Tun
Besides the smoker, lounge, and cafeteria on cam- pus, students often frequented nearby restaurants when time permitted. The “G” Shoppe, or Goodie Shoppe, and the White Shingle were two favorite places to meet for coffee, a Coke, or lunch. Although the Lighthouse and Blast Furnace were primarily high school hangouts, they did attract some college stu- dents. People with cars had other options such as Silver Fross on East Cass Street and McDonald’s on West Jefferson Street. When the weather was nice, some students skipped lunch and spent the noon hour “cruisin.” They circled the building time and time
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again, t3dng up traffic and irritating school authorities. 1 For several years, athletic teams playing out of j town ate at the White Shingle before boarding the [j bus for the game. Proprietor Grace Jenkins catered | to high school and college students from 1935 to i 1956. The “Shingle” was the first Joliet restaurant to i' sell foot-long hot dogs and serve Hires Root Beer in | frosted mugs. Mrs. Jenkins’ ads played on her name ^ by reminding students to remember Grace before 1 they ate. Standing in the way of progress, the white- shingled building was torn down to make way for the school’s new technical building in 1957.
THE "G” SHOP
Students catching a quick cup at the G Shoppe.
"The Campus’ Favorite Spot”
Silver Fross Drive-In featured carhop service.
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Have you tried
Otto *s ROOT BEER
Students entering the Blast Furnace.
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I Xjtto S blast furnace I
1 59 NORTH EASTERN AVE. Across From High School 1
McDonald’s opened in 1956 on the far west side of town and became an immediate success serving the “All-American Meal” of a hamburger (15 cents), fries (10 cents), and shake (20 cents) for a grand total of 45 cents.
Cruising the school at noontime backed up traffic on streets bordering the building.
!B»fore You Eal Remember “Grace”
WHITE
SHINGLE
CoHins and Van Buren
GOOD FOOD - QUKK SERVICE
Exterior view of the White Shingle.
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dtu^ent £eaber$
Semester after semester and year after year, new student leaders were elected as class officers and members of the student council. Attending a junior college with limited enrollment gave students a much
better chance to develop leadership skills than if they had attended large universities. Pictured here are a few of the students elected in the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s to lead their respective classes.
Sophomore class officers in 1941 were Grace McDowall, secretary-treasurer; John Barnes, president; and Merville “Miggs” Howland, vice president.
Officers of the 1 954 Student Council were secretary-treasurer Jo Almsay, president Ed Esier, and vice presi- dent Bob Fraser.
Jim Arnold (president), Janet Tozzi (secretary), and Jim Morris (vice president) served as officers of the fresh- man class in 1962.
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“Leaders are made, not born,” declared Dr. Del Kinney at the annual Leadership Conference in 1963. Attended by class officers, student council members, and officers of various clubs, JJC stu- dents spent an October weekend at George Williams College Camp in Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin. Kinney led the students in analyzing the college and understanding their role as student leaders. They learned how to plan and conduct meetings and practiced various problem-solving techniques. Assistant Dean Walter Zaida is seen here distributing materials at the opening session.
Leaders of the 1963 freshman class were president Russ Wunderlich, secretary-treasurer Mary Ann Ross, and vice president Jack Mork.
Organized in 1 948 by the students pictured here. Students of Medical Science was one of the most active clubs on campus. Under the direction of faculty sponsor Ed Puddicombe, SMS watched films, heard guest speakers, and took numerous field trips to regional hospitals and professional schools. Students were occasionally permitted to observe surgeries, sometimes performed by JJC graduates in the medical profession. One of the longest trips taken by the club was to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1966. Also, in a joint effort with the college Adult Education Office, SMS co-sponsored the popular program Your Doctor Speaks. Original club members are pictured. Front: John Coady, John Bedesky, Mark Meers, Bob Riffel, and Ralph Deuschman. Back: Gus Samios, Jim Blackburn, Jack Briick, John Klocke, and Art Wilhelmi.
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During the 1 950s, the Veteran’s Club became one of the largest on campus as Korean War vets returned to col- lege. The club sponsored an annual Christmas project collecting food and toys for needy families in the area. Members are pictured here in 1 957. Front: Ronald Goldenstern, Harold Swinford, Richard Kittrell, Ted Zuck, Willard Curtis, John Mahan, Ronald Ludeman, Willard Prynn. Middle: joe Remko, Merle Drew, Richard Maske, George Economides, Robert McIntyre, jack Albert, Matthew Picciolo, Edward Stefancic. Back: James Slobodnik, Paul Belin, Carl Batson, Harry Woodhouse, LaVerne Kastman, Gil Nicoll, Dallas Munter, Lou Vargas, Matt Racich.
The Motor Sports Club encouraged the ownership and appreciation of motor-sports vehicles. The club held rallies, planned speed and distance contests, and attended auto shows and races. Pictured here are members in 1964. Front: Bill Piner, Mike Lenich, Ken King, and Ray Friday. Back: Jim Wellman, Roger Tracy, jack Wicke, Chuck Marshall, jerry Frattini, Phil Bjekich, Lee Bettenhausen, Ron Smego, Milton Sheffield, Al Zanzola, and Al Chesko.
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The Spanish Club, pictured here in 1 966, was orga- nized to promote the study and appreciation of the Spanish language and culture. Front: Sylvia Ponce, Pam Scriber, Marge Sauer, Flip jerzycke, and faculty sponsor Duke Hornvale. Back: Charles Meyer, Dave Kramer, and Tom Newberry.
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Stop the presses! Scores of junior college students gained valuable experience over the years as members of the Press Club. Writing, editing, and publishing skills were developed and sharpened as students met deadlines and produced a variety of publications including The Blazer, Shield, College Casuals, and “The Wolf Call,” a weekly column in local newspapers. Officers of the 1 965 Press Club were vice president Maribeth Sullivan, president Joe Baltz, and secretary- treasurer Norma Barone
The Camera Club was a fairly new organization in 1943 when members were photographed here examining a camera used to take pictures for the yearbook. Students learned darkroom techniques necessary for developing film and printing photographs. The only requirements for membership were an interest in taking pictures and the ability to work in the dark. Seated: Leona Braman, Florence Hojnacki, and Milton Lewis. Standing: Robert Markelz, Franklin Sidell, and Connors.
Organized in the mid- 1 940s, the Engineer’s Club was composed of students interested in learning about the engineering profes- sion. Under the guidance of faculty sponsor Drew Castle, the club watched educational movies, heard guest speakers, and went on field trips to regional companies. The 1956 club pic- tured here was the first to have female members. Front:
Edward Sparks, Henry Frieh, Joyce Potter, Judy Sanders, Val Spreitzer, Palmer Kloster, Phil Egizio. Middle: Andrew Prophet, Gordon Fabian, James Krizmanic, Joseph Dezelan,
Henry Atkinson, Drew Castle (faculty sponsor), James St. Germain. Back: Jesse Roa, Roger Geske, Robert Davis, Krakar, Richard Barklow, Jim Yakich, William Verd.
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Members of the 1965 Chess Club study their next moves as they try to out-strategize their opponents. The club was organized to promote the game and to make matches available to chess enthusiasts.
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Composed of both high school and junior college students, the FDA (Future Distributors of America) Club was limited to those enrolled in distributive education classes. Students attended classes in the morning and worked in local businesses in the afternoon. They were paid regular wages for the hours they worked and received credit for their time both in class and on the job. Distributive Education Coordinator Duane Kirchoff served as FDA Club sponsor. Seated: Chris Dragatsis, Joyce Bauch, Elsie Shaubel, Darlene Reece, Marilyn Chesko, Betty Peart, and Lorraine Tezak. Standing: Wayne Massey, Andy Orsini, Don Beno, Wally Sharp, Richard Rachick, Jim Gillette, and sponsor Duane Kirchoff.
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The Associated Business Students, or the Business Club as it was generally known, met once a month and welcomed all students interested in pursuing business careers. Men and women from the business world often attended club meetings and shared information on the requirements and opportunities in their chosen fields. The social highlight of the year was a spring banquet climaxed by the presentation of awards and scholarships and the announcement of newly
elected officers. Pictured here are club members in 1961. Front: Faculty sponsor John Corradetti, Leslie Yunker, Fred Baldazzi, Mary Ann Lambakis, Doris Hareld, Janice Whitler, Janet Judnick, Lynn Herbst, Jim Benson, and Jim Norris. Back: Chuck Allen, Dennis Taylor, Jim McGuire, Steve Kochevar, Lou Marello, Rich Eyrich, Dave Kettwig, Bob Becker, Bill Laken, Jim Troutman, and Richard Butterbach.
In February 1966, the Social Science Club sponsored a program in observance of Brotherhood Week featuring Rabbi Morris M. Hershman of the Joliet Jewish Congregation (pictured here) and Father Epple, Chaplain of Lewis College. In speaking on “The Implementation of Brotherhood,” Rabbi Hershman stated that “we must come to a realization that our world and nations are made up of minorities, and all have something to contribute. Everyone has something to contribute to society.” At its monthly meetings, club members discussed such topics as the conflict in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Acts of 1 964 and 1 965, and social change in America.''^
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In 1961, the teacher education program began the practice of placing sophomore students in nearby elementary and high schools to gain a practical understanding of the teaching-learning process. Students observed cooperating teach- ers at work and then met once a week with their college instructor to share and discuss their experiences. These discussions of best teaching practices often carried over into meet- ings of the Student Education Association, the student club for future teachers. Several sophomores are seen here leaving campus to observe classes in 1963: Rosemarie Varju, John Bertino, Sandy Brown, Sue Manner, Marilyn Simonetti, Lucile Allen, Rita Roy, Carolyn Schaeffer, Rose Bennett, and Clyde Andrews.
In 1 95 1 , Joliet junior College celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a banquet. Addressing the attendees, who came from all over the country, is for- mer Superintendent Roosevelt Basler. Seated on his right is Dean Elmer Rowley, and on his left is Assistant Dean Susan Wood. Next to Miss Wood is Dr. Jesse Bogue, Executive Secretary of the American Association of Junior Colleges. To his left is Mrs. Bonar and Superintendent Hugh Bonar.
Included in the pro- gram were reminis- cences of retired faculty members and a roll call by classes. Many former teach- ers and students who could not attend sent letters of greeting.
In January 1953, the XI chapter of Sigma Mu Sigma Fraternity was chartered at JJC, the first four-year fraternity organized on a community college cam- pus. Sigma Mu Sigma was a general social fraterni- ty established to promote fellowship among mem- bers, service to community, and reverence for God. Faculty sponsors were Almond Fairfield and John Schneider, both of whom were national offi- cers of the fraternity. Charter members initially constructed a chapter room in Mr. Fairfield’s base- ment, but eventually acquired a house at 108 Richards Street. The fraternity “rushed” pledges, initiated new members, and planned a variety of social activities. In November 1955, Orrie Seron was chosen as the group’s first “Sweetheart of Sigma Mu.” Superintendent Bonar informed the School Board in June 1 958 that a legal opinion held that fraternities and sororities could not legally exist on junior college campuses. The Board immediately passed a resolution declaring that stu- dents connected in any way with such organiza- tions would be immediately expelled from school. Pictured here in 1 954 are officers of Sigma Mu Sigma. Seated: Dave Mraz, treasurer; Bob Fraser, president; Jack Shaw, junior vice president. Standing: Jerry Algeo, guard; Don Thornburg, senior vice president; Joe Kuhar, secretary.
In 1966, Dean Elmer Rowley prepares to open I the Bulletin Board to install a new sign stating that JJC is America’s old- est public junior college. Assisting and observing with approval are Petra Ziegner (holding sign), Ken Bazaar, Judy Lutz, and Assistant Dean Robert Mitchell.
Activities
Recognizing the importance of school activities in the overall learning experience, Joliet Junior College has historically offered its students opportunities for involvement in cluhs, special programs, and social events. Students are encouraged to participate fully in campus life but are free to choose their level of
involvement. Although jobs and family commitments leave little free time for some students, those who are able to participate in campus activities maximize their college experience and often learn lessons not taught in class.
In the fall of 1 947, the college began broadcasting biweekly pro- grams on WJOL radio. The format was broad enough to include musical performances, discussions, dramatizations, and interpretive readings by students and staff. Miss Erma Smith, a new speech and English instructor, served as faculty sponsor and helped students polish their scripts and showcase their talent. Pictured here are Jimmy Scheppach, Mary Ellen Scheppach, Henry Simpson, Noblitt, Ted Berst, and Ronald Cook.
American
Broadcasting
Company
In October 1952, Senator William Fulbright, an Arkansas Democrat, and Governor Val Peterson, a Nebraska Republican, squared off in the school auditorium to dis- cuss the 1952 presidential candi- dates. The two politicians were in Joliet as participants in “America’s Town Meeting of the Air,” a pro- gram sponsored locally byJJCs “World Today” series. Fulbright and Peterson discussed the differ- ences between General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Governor Adlai E. Stevenson and expressed sharp disagreement over which candi- date would make the better presi- dent. The program filled the audi- torium and was also broadcast by ABC. Pictured here on stage are Assistant Dean Susan Wood, Governor Val Peterson, Dr.
Orville Hitchcock (moderator), and Senator Williarr Fulbright.
OF THE AIR
PRESENTED BY TOWN HALL and
DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF AN HONESTLY INFORMED PUBLIC OPINION
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The annual ski trip between semesters gave both experienced skiers and those new to the sport an opportunity to hit the slopes. Pictured here in 1958 are JJC “schuss- boomers” at Ishpeming, Michigan, with faculty spon- sor Eugene Bondar (kneel- ing with glasses).
In 1946, a Men’s Glee Club was organized with twenty- five members. Director Paul Lester met with the group twice a week for practice. Whenever special music was needed at school assemblies or civic gather- ings, the Glee Club was ready to perform.
Planning the annual ski trip and sharing survival stories later were almost as much fun as the downhill runs. Pictured here at a 1963 planning session with a sign reading “Mt. Telemark or Bust!!!” are Karen Behling, Alex Francois, and Barbara Johnson in front and Aija Jekabsons, Lynn Mauer, and Jim Lois in back.
In 1965, Ron Jugenitz recounts the ordeal of how he “busted” his ski — but fortunately not his leg. Looking on are Melanie Berta, Jan Hanley, Paul Spittal, and Joy Nembic.
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Over the years, numer- ous entertainers and nationally known speak- ers have appeared on campus. One of the most memorable humor- ous programs was pre- sented by the Smothers Brothers in 1963. Lacing songs with satire, Tom and Dick Smothers delighted the huge crowd with their sibling rivalry and Tom’s wacky jibes and comments.
Roller skating parties were especially popular in the 1940s and ‘50s. Here, in 1957, John Racich manages to remain upright with a little assistance from Eugene “jug” Matesi while Fred Norton appears to be an experienced skater as he overtakes the unsteady pair. Meanwhile, Everett “Sparky” Hauck has made an unscheduled landing on the hardwood. Their facial expressions and body language reveal the challenge and enjoyment of partying on wheels.
Choir performances in 1949 fea- tured the duet of Bill Rutter and Elaine Ott with Phyllis Hedstrom at the piano. The three musicians provided entertainment at the annual Junior College Conference with such popular love songs as “Wanting You” and “Love Me Tonight.” According to The Blazer, Rutter’s linen-like notes were a real hit with college women in the audience."*^
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The JC Players entertained appreciative audiences over the years while learning the art and craft of acting.
Under the direction of Robert Mallary, the Players presented the three-act play The Angry Twelve. Seen here rehearsing in 1 958 are Dolores Pagliei, Marie Chalstrom, James Padley, Lester Nelson, David Imig, Richard Wilhelmi, Genevieve Coulson, Allen McGowan, Wayne Barnett, Guy Sell, and Mary Ann Milner.
First organized in 1946 by Jack Hinton and then reorganized in 1949 by Dr. Hal Dellinger, the swing band drew musicians from the rich pool of talent in the Joliet area. The band played at a variety of school assemblies, dances, sporting events, and community functions. Together with the college choir, the swing band annually toured area high schools. Members are pictured here in 1950. First Row: Jack Meyer, Glenn Young, Mary Armstrong, Zoe Ann Schneiter, Joseph Lazzaro, Joan Briick. Second Row: Richard Comer, Donald Kramer, Charles Ursitti, Doris Kahn, Fred McGuire, Herman Kuntz. Third Row: Robert Riffel, John Howard. Fourth Row: Dr. Hal Dellinger, Sandro Brandolino, Angelo Principali, Tom Winterstein.
The JJC Choir in 1 963 boasted fifty-five voices under the direction of Dr. Hal Dellinger. During the fall, the choir joined the swing band on a tour of area high schools to entertain and recruit students. The Christmas season found the choir presenting holiday programs to civic and social groups. The major event of the year was the annual spring musical, which featured various soloists and ensembles.
First Row: Michele Tinder, Sue Manner, Lila Kenyon, Judy Schempf, Addie Withers, Diane Ball, Barbara Johnson, Karyn Chizmark, Vicky Smith, Charlene Potter, Lynn Spencer, Sharon Maitland, Dr. Hal
Dellinger. Second Row: Joan Dawson, Judy Crackel, Martha Huxtable, Judy Neutzman, Barbara Dorn, Beverly Startz, Linda Sandbloom, Grace Bachman, Joan Gustafson, Barbara Almberg, Penny Gregory. Third Row: Phillip Kaveny, Noble Allen, Joseph Kociuba, Phillip Pellouchoud, David Chelini, Dwight Ferryance, Thom Barber, John Rice, Vincent Gelsomino, Frank Gutierrez, Clyde Andrews. Fourth Row: Donald Young, Jerry Jackson, Randy Sala, Bob Cary, Kenneth Palmer, Larry Peet, Russell Wunderlich, Ronald Silc, William Holt, Arthur Kureghian, Joseph Maielli.
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^We Couth ‘HaVe 'X)anceh ^it
During the 1940s, brooms with horses’ heads were commonplace at mixers and