Recognizing IVC's past, part 1

Spring '92
Spring '96

     Since President Roquemore has evidently decided to scrub the college of its past, we're countering by splattering some old images of the college and its community all over this blog--today and in coming days. (Thanks to Jeanne Egasse for the old schedules!)
     Below are images from the IVC Spring 1992 and Spring 1996 Schedules of Classes.

SPRING 1992 Schedule of Classes:

Here, Bea looks like a teenager! Heck, maybe she was one.

Yes, this image (on the bus) was produced by none other than Emigdio Vasquez, whose mural now graces a wall in the IVC Library. 

I recall Brenda's central involvement in early attempts to reform the Faculty Association in the Fall of 1996. That struggle went on for years.

Anna seemed to have been a very popular administrator. I seem to recall that she took over the Presidency from Ron Kong, who arrived in the Fall of '86 (or Spring of '87). (Though I was newly hired, I was appointed to the Presidential search committee! It was an eye-opening experience.)

People were sorry to see Anna go.

In the early days, PE at IVC wasn't about sports and competition; it was all about fitness. That was one of the things that made the college special. Pam Deegan, who advanced to administration mid-decade, was an important leader in this regard, but, by the late 90s, she was forced out. That was during the "Board Majority" era, natch.

Bren (at right) had loyal friends. When he died, not long after this photo, colleagues were devastated.

SPRING 1996:

As I recall, the Humanities course advertised above was team taught by Richard Prystowsky, Rebecca Welch, Dale Larson, and me. Hum faculty had all sorts of ambitious plans of inter-disciplinary teaching, but they soon came to grief.

In the early 90s, the School of Humanities and Languages decided to go forward with a journalism program, hoping to create the kind of instruction, and the kind of newspapers (etc.), that our ambitious faculty could be proud of. In the early 90s, a journalist (Olga B) was hired, full-time, to guide the program but, by 1997, the student paper—the Voice—became a problem to administration, owing to reporters' reporting. You can imagine the rest.

The School of Humanities has sought to revive some of the old programs and publications (e.g., the Ear), but we have met with some, ahem, resistance and difficulty. More about the latter in  coming weeks.

More to come!

Be sure to check out A brief history of IVC’s Presidency (à la LA Times)
For more old pics, see also IVC’s Pinterest page: IVC then and now
Remembering the old Clock Tower: The replacement Clock Tower adventure

A brief Presidential history of IVC (à la LA Times)

"Farmer Ed" Hart, c. 1978

(à la LA Times) - A companion to upcoming Historical posts
     (For an account of the controversial selection of the Jeffrey Rd. site for the district’s second campus (i.e., IVC), see "Shut up," he told her.)

Ground Broken for Second Saddleback College Campus, LA Times, Nov 12, 1977

      Saddleback Community College District has broken ground here [Nov 1] for its second campus, due to open next fall.

•      The 20-acre parcel, now an orange grove, is at Jeffrey Road and Irvine Center Drive. Campus architect William Blurock is preserving as many of the trees as possible.

Jan. 15, 1979
     It will start out the size of a junior high school. And it’s a long way from getting a name of its own.
     But students will begin taking classes next Monday at Orange County’s newest community college, known as the north campus of Saddleback College.
     College officials say they expect to enroll about 1,500 persons at the outset, many of them taking courses both at the new campus (carved from an orange grove at Irvine Center Drive and Jeffrey Road) and at Saddleback College (14 miles south in Mission Viejo).
. . .
     During a press preview last week, the campus was still very much a construction site. The raw buildings were surrounded by mud. A workman was painting a door through which visitors entered.
     Campus administrator ED HART had his full-time faculty there for introductions—all 11 of them. [In 1981 the North Campus was elevated from satellite to full-campus status.]

Sep 18, 1981
     Saddleback Community College District trustees have announced the appointment of a chancellor and two college presidents to direct the growing college district at its campuses in Mission Viejo and Irvine.

March 15, 1985

     After a short search that yielded suggestions such as Gumby College and El Torito College—Home of the Nachos, the Saddleback Community College District board has voted to rename Saddleback College's north campus Irvine Valley Community College.

July 02, 1985

     …"This is the only new college in the state," pronounced Bill Watts, president of the board of trustees of Saddleback Community College District. He referred to the fact that Irvine Valley College was on Monday becoming an official, independent entity--no longer just the northern extension of Saddleback College, 14 miles away in Mission Viejo.

. . .

     "Today is our birthday," said ED HART, president of Irvine Valley, as the dedication ceremonies got under way.

September 16, 1986 

     DALE LARSON, dean of instruction at Irvine Valley College, has been named the college's acting president, succeeding Ed Hart. Hart recently announced his intention to retire, effective Nov. 1, and Larson is phasing in as acting president, said Saddleback Community College District spokeswoman Donna Hatchett. Larson, 46, has been with the college district since 1969. He became director of instructional services at Irvine Valley College in 1979, and in 1982 the title was changed to dean.

Dale Larson, 2008

April 15, 1987

    RONALD KONG, dean of Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, is the new president of Irvine Valley College. The Saddleback Community College District, which governs Irvine Valley College, announced that Kong, 49, will assume his new post June 1. Kong succeeds Ed Hart, who retired from the presidency at Irvine Valley last November and is now president emeritus. Irvine Valley, which has 4,766 students, is one of two colleges in Saddleback Community College District.

June 7, 1989

    ANNA L. MCFARLIN, vice chancellor of administrative services for Saddleback Community College District, has been named interim president of Irvine Valley College. McFarlin, who has been with the district since 1969, was recommended by Chancellor Richard Sneed and approved by the board of trustees at a meeting Monday night. She replaces Ronald A. Kong, who resigned last week to become president of Alameda College in Northern California. Kong's resignation is effective July 1. McFarlin, who was dean of students at Irvine Valley College before assuming the district vice chancellor's post in 1987, started as a counselor at Saddleback College in 1969.

Groundbreaking at Saddleback College, north campus (Nov 1, 1977)

March 20, 1990 

     Memorial services will be held Wednesday for Edward A. Hart, founding president of Irvine Valley College. Hart, 61, died Sunday of cerebral lymphoma at his Dana Point home after a yearlong illness, a Saddleback Community College District spokeswoman said Monday. Hart came to the Saddleback District in 1975 from Chabot College in Hayward….

March 28, 1994 

     Anna L. McFarlin, who has served as president of Irvine Valley College for five years, has announced plans to retire. McFarlin's tenure as president was marked by substantial growth. Enrollment at the college doubled to 10,000 and several new buildings were constructed, including the Student Services Center, the Child Development Center and several athletic facilities.

June 24, 1994 

Ron Kong, c. 1987

     Five candidates have made the final cut for president of Irvine Valley College, officials said Thursday. They face mid-July interviews for the president's job, said Saddleback Community College District spokeswoman Diane Riopka. The person chosen will succeed Anna L. McFarlin, who has been president since 1989. McFarlin announced her retirement March 14 and will leave in August, Riopka said.

September 23, 1994

     Irvine Valley College has a new president. DANIEL LARIOS, former dean of instruction at Tillamook Bay Community College in Oregon, took over the job this term. Larios, 46, a dean at Saddleback College for six years before moving to Oregon, succeeded Anna L. McFarlin, who retired after 25 years with the Saddleback Community College District and five years as Irvine Valley College president.

Feb 19, 1997

     Irvine Valley College President Daniel L. Larios resigned Tuesday to accept the top post at Fresno City College.

     Larios served as the college's president for more than two years, 

Ann McFarlin, c. 1990

March 19, 1997
    ROBERT A. LOMBARDI, chancellor of Saddleback Community College District, did not have to look far for somebody to serve as interim president of Irvine Valley College: He'll do the job himself.
    Lombardi, who is paid $145,000 a year, will assume the additional post April 1 with the departure of Daniel Larios, who is leaving to become president of Fresno City College in his hometown

April 30, 1997

    RAGHU P. MATHUR, an Irvine Valley College chemistry instructor and chairman of the school of physical sciences, has been chosen interim president of the college. ROBERT A. LOMBARDI, chancellor of the two-college Saddleback Community College District, had been filling the post since March, but the district's Board of Trustees decided he was needed in the chancellor's office full time, district spokeswoman Diane Riopka said.

Inexplicably, Roquemore's appointment appears to be permanent

September 09, 1997
     ...Meeting in separate closed sessions, the board eliminated 10 department chairs at Irvine Valley College, one of two campuses the district oversees, and appointed chemistry professor Raghu P. Mathur interim president. On Monday night, the trustees voted 4 to 3 in closed session to make Mathur's appointment permanent.

Dan Larios, c. 1996

July 1, 2002 

    GLENN R. ROQUEMORE, officially becomes president of Irvine Valley College today, following his appointment last week by trustees of the South Orange County Community College District. Roquemore, who had been vice president of instruction at the college for the past two years, was chosen to head the two-year college after a nationwide search, said officials for district, which includes IVC and Saddleback colleges. 

SEE Saddleback College North opens (LA Times)

One man's collision with the Math Blob

CSUF math professor in textbook battle draws support and opposition (OC Reg)
Excerpt:

“This has been the toughest week of my life,” said Bourget, who was reprimanded by university officials after he assigned alternative textbooks instead of one co-authored by the university’s math department chair.

FORUM: Boring but not dreadful

Roquemore: inanity and vacuousness perpetually front and center

     The college (IVC) is holding an "open forum" today (in A100) at 11:00 and then again at 5:00. I decided to attend the first one. I stayed until noon, then got back to my office to prepare for my next class.

     Lisa just came in the door. "How was the forum?" she asks.

     "Boring but not dreadful," I say, chirpily.

     "Why don't you report that?"

     "OK."

P.S.:

     Just now, Lisa reported that a friend had attended the forum. Said friend, "I nearly fell asleep."

     So there's that.

Nothing much happened

P.P.S.:
     The vegetarian sandwich provided by the college was pretty good.
     Attendance was so-so. Coulda been worse.
     During the hour that I attended, the folks on the panel seemed preoccupied with the issue of campus safety. There was much talk about earthquake preparedness and "active shooter" countermeasures. (The "big one" is gonna happen, I know. On the other hand, the chances of encountering an "active shooter" at the college are likely lower than the chances of being hit by lightning--or finding a literate administrator in A100.)
     VP Linda F (she has a doctorate in "education" with a special emphasis on "cookies and punch") yammered like she does about the many and various ways that the campus is addressing student populations that don't do well, academically. (No groups were mentioned by name.) We've been snagging grant money, she said. Big bucks. (She did mention the amount, natch. Over a mil.)
     The student government kid seemed  pretty sharp. Panelists seemed to fear him. ("Good God, what will he say next! Can't anyone control him!") —RB

Carto dead

Willis Carto, Far-Right Figure and Holocaust Denier, Dies at 89 (NYT)
     You’ll recall that right-wing Trustee Steven Frogue was a fan of some of Mr. Carto’s publications and invited speakers, some of whom were affiliated with Carto’s “Liberty Lobby,” to a Saddleback College “forum” on the Warren Report. Despite this, the Faculty Association "old guard" remained loyal to their "guy," who was, they said, misunderstood.

SEE:

* Studying the Lessons of Steven J. Frogue : Profile: The teacher and Saddleback trustee does not retreat from controversy that his views generate.
* THE SAYINGS OF CHAIRMAN FROGUE
* IS TRUSTEE STEVEN FROGUE A HOLOCAUST DENIER?
* Ray Chandos defends Steve Frogue
* 1998: Ken Woodward defends Frogue and our corrupt union on KPFK

Update on Cole

SINCE we last posted about Cole Sundeen and the campaign to purchase an accessible van to "help Cole get there," Cole has continued to undergo treatment in the clinical trial at UCLA and the family remains hopeful as they approach the end of the rather grueling 12 weeks of Phase 1, which involve early morning commutes and overnight stays.

Meanwhile, our renewed efforts to highlight the campaign and raise funds resulted in almost $3,000 more in donations from staff, faculty - and students! Thank you!

Please continue help pass the word. To donate, click here: Help Cole Get There!

Consider placing the link on your Facebook wall and in other social media venues.

Rebel Girl first read about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Peggy Wolfson's award-winning essay, "Moonrise" which appeared in The Atlantic in  2001.  In it, Wolfson describes life with her son Ansel, named for the famed photographer Ansel Adams. Wolfson writes," The name seemed apt; Ansel was, as people often told us, prettier than a picture, amber-haired and round-eyed, with a perpetually quizzical but serene countenance and the build of a slender but sturdy miniature football player."

A recent re-reading made Rebel Girl appreciate even more the daily challenges faced by Polly, Cole and their family as they make their way in the world.

excerpt:

I am at the Grand Union in Dobbs Ferry, New York, with my son Ansel, who is thirteen years old. It's raining. He begged to come, so I brought him, not really wanting to, because I had to bring his wheelchair, too: it weighs more than 200 pounds and isn't easy to maneuver into the minivan, even with the ramp. I have to wrestle the motorized chair until it faces forward and then, bending and squeezing into the narrow confines of the van, I have to fasten it to the floor with several clasps. By the time I have done this even once, I'm irritable. A trip to the supermarket means doing it twice and undoing it twice....

....Before loading the groceries I open the van door so that Ansel can get in the front seat, where he always sits if Joe isn't with us. He parks his chair at a distance from the minivan, so that I'll have room for the ramp, and starts to rise, laboriously. No, "rise" sounds too easy, like smoke going up a flue, airy, like yeast bread rising in the oven. Ansel does not rise. He shifts sideways in the seat and pulls himself up heavily, propping his eighty pounds against the armrest for balance. He leans with his left arm, twists his right shoulder around to straighten up, and brings his hip and buttocks to a partly standing position. Actually he's sort of bent in half, with his hands still on the chair's joystick. There is a moment of imbalance. His feet are planted far apart, farther out than his hips, and he needs to bounce back and forth a few times to bring his feet together. Finally he's up. He begins walking toward the door in his waddling, tiptoe way. His spine is curved quite a bit from scoliosis, his stomach is forward, his hands are out at his sides chest-high, his fingers outstretched.

His balance is so tenuous that his five-year-old brother, Toby, can knock him down. Sometimes Ansel will bellow, "I'm tired of everyone always leaving things all over the floor! Don't they know I'll fall?" It's true that we're a little careless about this. But Ansel will trip over anything—an unevenness in the sidewalk, the dog's water dish, some bits of food on the floor, things expected and unexpected—and sometimes over nothing. Sooner or later he falls. It's part of the routine. And the older he gets, the more he falls.

To read the entire essay, (and you should, says the professor of English!) click here.  It's smart and brave and yes, heartbreaking.

But do remember even as your heart breaks, that there has been medical progress since Wolfson wrote about her son Ansel.  Today, Cole Sundeen and so many others are benefiting from that progress and their lives are longer and more active.  And Cole, as a participant in the ongoing critical 12 person trial, is now an active contributor to even more progress. As Polly said to Rebel Girl not too long ago, our love makes us brave, courageous.

And we can help him get there.

Cole Sundeen at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  October 28, 2015.

*

More trouble for the OC Register

With bankruptcy filing, local group bids for ownership of Freedom Communications (OC Reg)
     Freedom Communications Inc., owner of The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise, filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday as part of a management-led plan to acquire the struggling newspaper company....

Orange County Register Declares Bankrupcty, be Bought By...Mike Harrah?! (Gustavo Arellano)
      Who declares bankruptcy midnight on a Sunday, after a reporter starts asking questions? The Orange County Register, of course!
     Yesterday, multiple, trustworthy sources who requested anonymity told me the Register's parent company planned to file bankruptcy sometime this week, if not sooner. I sent out an email for comment to Reg publisher Rich Mirman and one of their attorneys, which weren't returned by press time.
     Then at 1 a.m. last night, a source sent me a press release officially confirming the story, along with another thing I was hearing: that notorious landlord Mike Harrah--the man who bought the Register's offices and land last year, and has been trying to build a 37-story office tower for over a decade--was going to put in a bid with Mirman to take over the Register.
     OH MY GOD...