FORT WORTH, Texas (Aug. 3, 2015) – State Rep. Nicole Collier, State Rep. Chris Turner and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price joined Tarrant County College’s four chancellors and members of the community Saturday in celebrating 50 years since TCC’s inception in 1965 as Tarrant County Junior College.
Former founding Chancellor Joe B. Rushing, 1965 to 1988, former Chancellor C.A. Roberson, 1988 to 1996, and former Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza, 1997 to 2009, joined current Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley in the festivities, which included the ceremonial burning of TCC’s last bond making it debt-free since bonds were issued in 1966.
On July 31, 1965, Tarrant County residents voted to establish a community college that would allow it to meet the needs of a growing work force. Their vote was in keeping with a national trend, supported on the state level, which called for a paradigm shift in higher education. The shift broadened the scope of education from focusing only on intellectuals.
The weekend celebration of the beginning of TCC included the Vida Van Sampling Team, Dr Pepper’s own brand ambassadors hosted Pepper Pong with flavors to sample and KISS-FM radio was on site to move the pace along. Texas Rangers’ mascot, Captain, and TCC’s mascot, Toro, captured the attention of younger attendees while faculty and staff from the five campuses provided entertainment based on the decades during Doing up the Decades program.
Event sponsors included Freese and Nichols Inc., GCA Education Services Inc., Weaver Assurance Tax Advisory, JP Morgan Chase & CO, Trinity River Vision Authority, Tarrant Regional Water District, Streams and Valley and Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
