60 Years of Classes!
Written by Mylynda Gill, Special Collections Librarian and College Archivist
Did you know that this academic year (2024-2025) marks the 60th anniversary of classes occurring at this institution? The first day of classes occurred on September 25, 1964, with 266 students in attendance. However, it was a several year journey for this first day of classes to even occur.
It all started on the porch of the old Oglethorpe Hotel when the topic of a college first came up amongst Brunswick community leaders. One of these individuals was James D. Gould, Jr. and bringing a college to Brunswick became a passion for him. So much so, that a few years later he became a member of the Georgia Board of Regents to advocate for a college in Brunswick.
It was not until October 11, 1961, that the Board of Regents approved Brunswick, Georgia, as the location for a new junior college as part of a series of commuter junior colleges authorized by the state legislature in 1958. Brunswick College’s original mission was to provide pre-baccalaureate degree programs that prepared students for transfer to four-year institutions.
After receiving the approval from the Board of Regents, the next step was determining a location for the new college. With support from the City Commission of Brunswick and the Glynn County Commissioners, approximately 100 acres by Altama Avenue and Fourth Street became the designated location for Brunswick College. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 30,1963.
Just a few months later Earl F. Hargett was named as the institution’s first president and Pope A. Duncan was named as the first dean on December 11, 1963, by the Board of Regents.
Robert Werner was the first student to ask for enrollment to Brunswick (even before Hargett and Duncan were appointed) but Anthony H. Armstrong was the first student to finish the application and be accepted by Brunswick College.
The academic programs offered during the first year were liberal arts, pre-nursing, pre-teacher curriculum, pre-engineering, pre-professional science, business administration and basic science curriculum. Only first-year students were admitted into these programs; therefore, no commencement ceremony was held during the first academic year.
On October 21, 1964, a formal dedication ceremony for the college was held with Georgia Governor Carl Sanders as the main speaker. Members of the Board of Regents were also present as they had convened for a progress report from President Hargett in the Clara Wood Gould Memorial Library that same morning.
A lot of other firsts occurred during that first academic year of 1964 to 1965. For example, the first Student Government was formed on September 22, 1964. The first student newspaper, “The Lion’s Tale,” had its first issue published on October 9, 1964. An intermural bowling league was established on January 24, 1965, as the first intermural sport at our institution. The first volume of the institution’s yearbook “The Crest” was presented during a ceremony held on April 2, 1965, and was dedicated to the Brunswick community.
The College of Coastal Georgia Archives has been celebrating all these firsts and the 60th Anniversary of Classes throughout this year by hosting events, posting engaging social media content, and creating an exhibit in the lobby of the Clara Wood Gould Memorial Library at the Brunswick campus.
If you are interested in learning more about the college archives and its impact on the community, Special Collections Librarian and College Archivist Mylynda Gill will be co-leading a presentation with Dr. Hector Montford on April 18th called, “Coastal Georgia Public History and the Archives”.