About Us | CCC History

CCC History

My earliest memory of the days connected with the campus was when I was five years old and I walked to school. I often stopped along the way picking trilliums, lamb-tongues, and buttercups along the fence of this property. That was about 50 years ago.

At first the dirt road (Hwy. 213) was all gravel and ruts, but soon there was a big improvement--half pavement and half gravel. Traffic was very, very light and all cars drove on the pavement until meeting another car; then one had to give.

Only two families occupied this farm, and they were the best neighbors. One drove a Model-T, just like my dad's.

At that time tractors were not the in-thing for every farmer, so one farmer, John Evans, did all his plowing, cultivating, harrowing, and hay-raking with his old, faithful team of horses.

If anyone had told me even 20 years ago that the house, barn, and all the sheds would be torn down and replaced by a community college, I would have told him, "You're nuts!" But I guess I'm the one that's nutty. I, too, thought at first that the college would never amount to anything. But, you see how wrong I was!

Mary Moore, 1986
Clackamas Community College retiree

Getting started

In 1962 citizens of Clackamas County formed a committee to promote the establishment of a community college. By 1964 they were working hard to get it legally sanctioned by a vote of county citizens. On May 24, 1966, after two years of trying to start a college, 62% of the people voted yes to form the District. After several months the vote was passed that approved an operating budget for the college. Clackamas Community College was now in business.

The first year

Seven part time instructors taught the first ninety-three students at evening classes in Gladstone High School. The college also assumed operation of the three occupational programs of auto mechanics, body and fender repair, and machine shop offered by the Oregon City Vocational School. They also assumed responsibility for most of the adult education classes offered by local high schools, which gave a total head count of 693 students for the 1966-67 school year.

The second year

As no permanent site had been decided on, the 1967-68 school year saw modular buildings on a temporary site that eventually became known as the Warner-Milne campus. On moving day the entire library was packed up into two boxes and the whole college was moved with one U-Haul truck in a day. Although the Oregon City Vocational School was now officially part of the college, the buildings were to remain another temporary site. For this school year twenty-three full-time faculty members were hired in addition to five administrators, eleven classified, and 225 part-time faculty. The enrollment that year rose to 3,321 students.

The Warner-Milne campus brought out the pioneering spirit in all the staff. One evening Dr. John Hakanason, the administrator in charge, heard the wind howl and felt the modular buildings sway in each gust. He feared the school would literally be swept off its foundations. At 9 p.m. he went to every classroom and ordered the school closed; then he helped push cars out of the muddy "parking lot" until 10:30 p.m.

Progress

In the spring of 1968 Dr. Roy Mikalson announced that he had accepted the Presidency of Modesto Junior College in California. The school board allowed him to take early leave from his position and immediately invited Dr. Hakanson to take the position of acting President.

Rev. Richard Andrews, board member, summed up the need for Clackamas to move ahead, get its own turf, and get on with education: "I think we should either be fishing or cutting bait." Clackamas could not waste any time.

Dr. Hakanson and Bill Ryan immediately moved to secure the Molalla Avenue-Beavercreek Road site for the college, under the advisement of the citizens' vote in February. On June 10 Clackamas celebrated ground-breaking for the Clairmont Building, the first permanent building on a permanent site. Many staff members view that event as the most significant morale booster for Clackamas--finally the college had a home.

Building a campus
From the time the Clairmont Building was completed in 1969 the college has been up and running at a brisk pace. The whole school moved into Clairmont except for the vocational/technical division. When Barlow Hall was finished in 1970 the technical-mechanical programs were moved there from the old dilapidated buildings of the Oregon City Vocational School. Soon Randall and McLoughlin Halls were completed in 1971, giving the liberal arts, math, music, physical education, and business departments a home in close proximity to each other. (Incidentally, the move into McLoughlin meant the third move for the library--with many more books than the original two boxes full.)

At the beginning of the 1980's the Community Center was completed, giving Student Services and Counseling a permanent home--no longer to be scattered throughout the campus. The Pauling Center was completed in 1981 and Dr. Linus Pauling himself came to the dedication. This gave the science departments a permanent home, having been previously relocated several times.

Ever expanding

The 1990's have seen many new facilities built for the college. The first of the new buildings was Streeter Hall, which houses the computer lab and offices for math, English, and computer science instructors. 1992 saw the completion of Gregory Forum, the Family Resource Center, and the Dye Learning Center, which hosts the library.

Always on the move

Some things never change. Space was always a little tight in the early days of Clackamas, as Clairmont was the only building at first. When mold spores were discovered growing in the insulation of Gregory, Streeter, and Dye people and offices were creatively distributed throughout the campus. Many staff shared offices with two or more fellow instructors.

In the last few weeks of spring term in 1996 the library was once again to move, this time to the small dining room in the Community Center. With only one computer and a few reference books library staff had to run down to Dye every time someone needed a book. From there the library moved several times before moving out into modular trailers in the parking lot during spring break in 1997. Before the electricity was installed the staff shelved books with gloved hands until the sun went down; it also took a few days to ensure that the trailers were watertight. Seventeen months later the work in Dye was completed, allowing the library to be moved for what library staff hopes is the last time.

Constant change

Throughout the history of the campus many little things have also changed. Trees have grown up and fallen down. Plants have been planted and uprooted. Sculptures have been moved. Faculty and department offices have been shuffled around multiple times. But in all these changes, big and small, one thing has remained constant: Clackamas Community College has always grown. Clackamas started with a handful of night classes at a high school and grew to a 175 acre main campus and over twenty buildings through which over 1,300 classes are taught each term. From simple beginnings to a well-established college, Clackamas has always been about real people with real results.

About Us | CCC History