From tumbleweeds to concrete

Kris O’Donnell

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the United

States became embroiled in a great struggle to keep the shores free

from invaders. All plans were, of course, quite inadequate as

originally drawn and activities expanded tremendously.

An Army classification center for aviation cadets moved from Santa

Ana proper to the Santa Ana Army Air Base that comprised the area

between Baker Street on the north, Harbor Boulevard on the west,

Wilson Street on the south and Newport Boulevard on the east in of

February 1942.

“They raised cattle at Harbor and Adams, in 1950, for students of

animal husbandry at the college,” recalled Gladys Refakes of the

Costa Mesa Historical Society.

Some buildings were ready for the cadets, 350 of whom arrived the

last week of February and instruction began early in March, she said.

“I was there twice, once in 1943 for classification, then again in

‘44 for pre-flight training,” said Art Lambert, who is now in charge

of the Santa Ana Army Air Base wing of the Costa Mesa Historical

Society. “There was nothing else around then.”

Orange Coast College got its start at the base, which became the

pre-flight training center for the Western Flying Training Command. A

faculty of more than 250 well-trained and experienced high school,

college and university teachers, many of whom held advanced academic

degrees, were recruited to instruct. The military base looked more

like a large civilian university.

“I like to think of this as the real beginning of Orange Coast

College,” Thelma Harwood, secretary to OCC founding president Basil

H. Peterson, later wrote. “In fact, some of the same individuals who

served the air base became members of the staff when Orange Coast

College came into existence.

“There was Kenneth Boettcher, musician in the base band, who was

the first chairman of the fine and applied arts division of OCC and

who wrote the college’s Alma Mater.”

Robert Griesser, member of OCC’s social science staff, was on the

base as a captain in the student mess section of operation.

Squadrons of soldiers camped out in the hills of the Irvine Ranch

where, later, students of the surveying classes of OCC performed

their field-practice surveying.

Swimming and lifesaving techniques were practiced in the harbor.

OCC officially became a viable entity on Jan. 27, 1947-- classes

started Sept. 13, 1948, and comprised 533 students and 33 faculty

members.

Uniformed young men marching in full military formations have been

replaced by equally young men and women scurrying to and from

classes or taking part in student activities.

The cluster of drab gray buildings is gone. Clean lines of bright

red brick, white concrete and glass are the outstanding features of

the contemporary and functional college buildings today.

Today’s student population is around 36,000.

* LOOKING BACK runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place or

event that deserves a historical look back? Let us know. Contact

James Meier by fax at (949) 646-4170; e-mail at

[email protected]; or mail at c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St.,

Costa Mesa, CA 92627.