By Jason Middlebrooks/ south news editor
Peter Matthews/The Collegian
The conference room in SFOD 1508C is a blast from South Campus’ past.
“It is a wonderful depiction of things that have happened throughout the history of the campus,” behavioral and social sciences dean Carolyn Robertson said.
In 2015, when TCC was celebrating its 50th anniversary, administrative office assistant Eileen Hart was inspired to do something special to celebrate South’s 50th anniversary this year. She and Robertson started a two-year project to collect as many items as possible from South’s past. The room was commissioned to become a permanent tribute.
“For about two and a half years, myself and Dean Robertson were sending out notes and emails to anybody that would give us anything that had TCJC on it,” Hart said.
The room is furnished with photos highlighting moments from South’s history and a shadow box containing items such as service pins that span 30 years, a proclamation for the Student Government Association from 1971, award plaques and news articles regarding events of the campus’ history.
The service pins belonged to biology adjunct instructor Clementine de Angelis, who was given a pin every five years when she worked full time for the campus. Instead of leaving them in their plastic cases, she donated them.
“It has diamonds in it and everything,” Hart said. “That was awfully cool to have that.”
A couple of items in particular were recovered by lead groundskeeper Manny Rodriguez. He found a trash can from the ’70s and a maintenance work shirt from the ’80s.
“[The work shirt] was in our storage room with the tools, just hanging,” Rodriguez said. “Makes you think how fast things change.”
Two chests in the room contain albums filled with photos and an old lunch tray still in good shape. According to Hart, the chests were found in the student center with no known origin.
“When we found them, we did not know what to do with them,” Hart said. “We just brought them in here, and now they hold more items that were donated for the project.”
