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| College History |
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Excerpted from Professor Walt Schuiling's books, From Jantzen to Jensen and Working Through From 1976 to 1992. Additional material taken from The Arrowhead newspaper.
Click on the time period below to go straight to that part of this article.
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| The College is Established: 1926 |
An election to establish the San Bernardino Valley Union Junior
College District was held on March 26, 1926. With no formal opposition to
the formation of the college, the issue carried by an overwhelming majority:
3,079 to 118, or nearly 30 to 1. The first Board of Trustees was elected
on May 7 of the same year. The five nominees (E. M. Lash, N. A. Richardson,
Frank H. Binney, T. Fred Robbins and Charles J. O'Connor) ran unopposed,
and were elected by a small voter turnout.
On June 23, 1926, the Board of Trustees met at a site on the east side of
Mt. Vernon Avenue, about equidistant between the downtown areas of San Bernardino
and Colton. It was suggested that about thirty acres in the northwestern
section of the parcel being inspected would provide the ideal location for
the new college, and the Board directed that an appraisal be made. About
a month later, an offer was made to the owners, Swan and Barton, to purchase
the desired land for $1,500 an acre, contingent upon voter approval of a
bond issue. The offer was accepted in early August, and an election was
called for September 23 to vote bonds in the amount of $485,000 to cover
the costs of the land purchase and the initial building construction. The
bond issue passed by a vote of nearly 25 to 1 (3,512 to 141).
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| On the New Campus: The Jantzen Years: 1926-1929 |
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1920s: Women's Baseball
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George H. Jantzen, Superintendent of Schools of the Colton District
and principal of Colton High School, was appointed Dean of the College,
a title that was later changed to "President." Without a campus of its own,
Valley College had to schedule classes during its first year (1926-1927)
at San Bernardino High School and Colton High School.
When classes began during the 1927-1928 academic year, the Administration
Building (then called the "Classics Building") had been completed. Classes
were carried on in the midst of construction, and by the end of the school
year, the Life Science Building (then called the "Science Building"), the
Gymnasium and the Library had also been completed.
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1920s: Mens Basketball
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The 1927-1928 faculty was made up of eleven men and six women. Nearly 300
students enrolled for the fall semester of 1927, with the freshmen outnumbering
the sophomores nearly six to one. Fifty-four courses were offered, nearly
all with a strong academic orientation. A number of college clubs were organized,
including Y'se Women, La Sociadad Hispanica, the Indian Paint Brush (Art),
Sock and Buskin (Drama), the Forensics Club, the Honor Society, a Women's
Athletic Association, and a Junior Lions' Club. A number of dances, parties,
teas and receptions were scheduled throughout the year, and newspaper accounts
of the time indicate that they were usually well attended.
A building housing a cafeteria opened across Mt. Vernon Avenue, but the
most popular off-campus hangout was "Nick's." Not only was it popular for
its milk shakes, but for the music from an old phonograph and from an even
greater attraction, a new radio.
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1929: Football Team
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Local reporters first referred to the Valley College football team as the
"Jaysees" or the "Renfromen" (in honor of Coach M. P. "Pinky" Renfro). Searching
for a shorter, catchier name, one reporter called them the "Wrens," and
the community quickly accepted the nickname, although the student body never
officially adopted it. The "Wrens" became the "Indians" in the fall of 1927.
The inspiration for the new name was attributed to the reported discovery
of an Indian burial ground while excavating for the original building. In
keeping with the new name, the college newspaper changed its name from "The
Jaysee" to the "Warwhoop."
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| The Griffing Presidency: 1929-1933 |
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1930: Aerial View of Campus
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President Jantzen resigned his position effective July 31, 1929, and
Professor John B. Griffing, an instructor in psychology and sociology, was
appointed as his successor. A fifth building was added to the campus in
1929, with the completion of a "Social Hall," the name given to the first
campus center or student union. The astronomical observatory was completed
in 1930.
Student enrollment continued to increase, with over 700 day students registered
in the fall of 1932. Most students planned to transfer to four-year schools,
and the curriculum continued to emphasize academic subjects.
The need for extensive parking lots was not of great concern during these
early years. Students using public transportation to the college made use
of the Pacific Electric streetcars, which passed the college along Mt. Vernon
Avenue.
The college felt the effects of the great economic depression of the early
1930s in a number of ways. In February 1932, Trustee Andrews was asked to
identify ways the campus might be able to economize in the costs associated
with the care of the grounds and buildings. Further purchases of books for
the library were deferred. In May 1932, the faculty passed a resolution
offering to accept a 5% reduction in salary, which was gratefully accepted
by the Board. In May of 1933, conditions were even bleaker. Only seventeen
instructors received assurances of a full-time job. Nine more received promises
of at least half-time employment, and four received notices of termination.
When salaries were finally adopted in June, all faculty who were receiving
more than $175 per month had their salaries reduced 10%. Under those conditions,
most of the staff was retained.
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1931-32: Amitola Tipi:
Women's Dormitory
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In June of 1933, President Griffing submitted his resignation, stating that
his health did not permit him to carry the burden of the position. He requested
that he be retained as a regular teaching faculty member for the ensuring
year, and the Board approved this request. Mr. Griffing left the campus
in January 1934 to become the Educational Adviser for the 9th Army Corps
Area. He later served four years in Brazil as the president of an agricultural
college, and then returned to the United States to head the Department of
Education at Tempe State Normal in Arizona (now Arizona State University).
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| The Ricciardi Presidency: 1933-1942 |
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1933: President
Nicolas Ricciardi
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The college's third president, Nicholas Ricciardi, came to San Bernardino
with a reputation as an outstanding authority on vocational education. Enrollment
during this period was relatively stable, fluctuating between 700 and 1,000
students per semester. Hazing of new students was an expected and accepted
practice during the first weeks of each academic year. Such good-natured
harassment generally ended with the annual Freshmen-Sophomore pushball context,
usually won by the sophomores.
Students and faculty had a strong feeling of community, and many social
events were scheduled, including a Christmas formal, co-ed pajama parties,
and a beard-growing contest.
Additional buildings were added to the campus during the Ricciardi years.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded construction of the auditorium.
From 1936 to 1938, this project provided employment for over 500 men in
the area, resulting in the most distinctive and architecturally beautiful
building on the campus. The auditorium was accepted by the Board in October
1938, and during that same month, the Drama Department presented Shakespeare's
"As You Like it" as the first
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1938: Play-As You Like It
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production in the new facility. In other construction
projects, State Emergency Relief Administration funds were obtained to construct
a Greek Theater, and WPA funds were used to fund concrete bleachers for
the stadium and a new vocational building.
During his last year at Valley College, President Ricciardi established
a separate Evening College, made up of three divisions: vocational arts,
social arts, and professional arts. Nora Parker Coy, originally employed
as an English instructor, was named Director of the new program.
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