Published in the April 16 – 29, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Marty Cheek
At his funeral in January 1985, I learned something about my father that even today makes me feel damn proud of my old man. I learned it in the reception room of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollister. Ralph Schroder, the first president of Gavilan Community College, told me how my dad helped break a deadlock on the discussion of where the college’s campus would be located.
Gavilan started out in 1919 as San Benito Junior College. It held classes at the high school in Hollister as well in buildings located at the Hollister Airport. My dad, who had a day job as a music teacher at San Benito High School, also did a night gig teaching music at San Benito Junior College.
The Master Plan for Higher Education, passed by forward-thinking legislators on Feb. 1, 1960, was a turning point in education for the state of California. The resulting Donahoe Higher Education Act limited enrollments in the UC and CSU systems but also set an overall goal to “provide an appropriate place in California public higher education for every student who is willing and able to benefit from attendance.” That role would be filled by “junior college,” now called community colleges.
In the early 1960s, residents of San Benito and southern Santa Clara County started discussing the construction of a community college campus to serve the region. In 1963, a new community college district was drawn. People in San Benito County wanted to keep the campus in the Hollister location. Gilroy advocated a Gilroy site. As a side note, a few people of Morgan Hill also asked the site be located in their town, which was a small farming community, but their petition was not taken seriously.
The discussion of the location of the campus got heated. According to Schroder, my dad learned that ranch property had come up for sale in the hills a few miles south of downtown Gilroy. He suggested the property be the campus site. The two feuding cities were satisfied with the compromise and the ranch land was purchased.
I attended Gavilan college in the mid-1980s and received a quality education. Since then, Gavilan has expanded to have satellite campuses in Hollister and Morgan Hill. The big challenge for many Gavilan students now is paying for their education. The Gavilan College Educational Foundation was set up to help students with financial needs through scholarships and other assistance.
On April 25, the foundation will hold its first Sowing the Seeds, Nurturing the Dreams wine and food gala to raise money for struggling students. I encourage you to attend this evening event and remember the lesson of my father: that teaming together instead of feuding can make great accomplishments happen.
