Too much to tell you about here! Check the campus events calendar for all of the exciting happenings on campus this week.

Centralia College will once again welcome the Seattle to Portland (STP) bikers on campus. If you are a rider and an alum of Centralia College, be sure to check out the newly renovated gym and the new Science Building while you are on campus.

Summer classes began yesterday. It is so good to see “life” back on campus. We have several events happening on campus over the summer months – STP official midpoint and the Hispanic Festival in July. Please contact our office for more information at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2009! You have worked hard to accomplish this milestone and we are very proud of you as you move from “student” to “alumni”. We hope you will stay connected with us and invest in future students of Centralia College as those in the past have invested in you. We welcome your remembrances, you final thoughts as you move into the next phase of your life.

Centralia College is preparing for commencement on June 12th. With the completion of the new Science Center, the Lingreen building has been torn down to make way for a new amphitheatre on the north side of the Clock tower. This week they are leveling, installing an irrigation system and sod. Alumni are invited back to campus to experience commencement with this year’s graduates at 4 p.m.

Lingreen Hall is no more. The building, with 47 years of service to Centralia College students, has been razed. The following is a tribute to Minnie Lingreen, for who the building was named. Minnie Lingreen taught here for 32 years. Following this tribute are comments from faculty and staff.

We are here to pay tribute to Minnie Lingreen, a woman who leaves an impressive legacy of accomplishment. She has indeed touched the lives of many people not only through her career as a teacher at Centralia High School and Centralia College but also through her community involvement. 

Minnie came to Centralia Junior College in 1939. She taught high school classes and, since the college was on the third floor of the high school building, she walked up to teach her college classes. She quickly gained a reputation as a teacher who cared tremendously for her students.

As a teacher, Minnie demanded a great deal from students. She challenged those she taught and it was through those challenges that true learning took place. As one of her former students said, “Minnie inspired us to explore, to move beyond the textbooks and into an exciting world. She made her students WANT to do well.”

This energy was a hallmark of Minnie Lingreen. The very fact that she taught at the college for 32 years is a tribute to dedication and her lasting interest in students and in education.           

Centralia College was a perfect match for the talents of Minnie Lingreen. She had a special interest in the social and political history of America and majored in history in college. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, a scholastic honors society and earned a special medal for excellence in history awarded by the Sons of the American Revolution.

Minnie expanded her interests, teaching not only Washington State and U.S. History, but also courses in Western civilization, political science, economics, geography and sociology. She rose to become the Chair of the Social Studies Department at Centralia College. She earned the respect and the admiration of not only her students but also of the faculty and administrators with whom she worked.         

And Minnie was a leader outside the classroom. She was active in the Washington Education Association and the National Education Association.  She served as the state chair for the WEA. Minnie cared for senior citizens, about historical preservation, about community employment, about the preservation of the environment and other vital issues of our community.

She had keen insight into important issues, a quick mind and was always willing to speak up for the issues in which she believed. She also possessed a great deal of energy and a willingness to become involved. It is because of these qualities that we see so many positive results from her efforts.  The Senior Citizens Center and the Twin Cities Transit are just two examples of programs that came to life because of Minnie’s dedication to her ideals and her involvement in the community.

Over the many years of her service to individuals in and out of the classroom, thousands benefited from Minnie Lingreen’s caring attitude and her desire to see improvement in the quality of life of those around her. Centralia College and this community are better places because of Minnie Lingreen.

Don Foran

It’s a little sad seeing Lingreen hauled away piece by piece.  In the past 24 years I taught about 200 courses, spent about 8800 class hours there.  Sometimes the rooms were very hot, sometimes very cold. Always the chalk dust swirled about.  Always the coffee-stained rugs and uncooperative window blinds somewhat blighted an otherwise pleasant day.  And yet, I miss the place. It is like losing a part of myself. I see with my mind’s eye the many students struggling over tests, faces lighting up when a new insight flitted past or alighted on their desk.

Alicia Wicks

This is sad for me, too.  
 
I was a literature major when Lingreen was a new building (and took sociology from Ms. Lingreen but in Kemp Hall).  In the winter when I slid into those plastic chairs with the attached “table,” I snapped, crackled, and popped with static electricity.  I remember taking grammar from Gordon Aadland and Frank Rosa in that building, as well as many wonderful literature classes from my beloved Etha Russell, whose office was in that building (which became my first office when I returned on staff 12 years ago).  
 
Perhaps we need ceremonies for these buildings as they expire.  They really are not that old, but I feel dated as they are demolished. Imagine attending or teaching at an Ivy League college, where the buildings are 100 or more years old!

Laura Yocom

I’m also suffering a little nostalgia.  However, the important thing is that we not forget Minnie Lingreen or Art Ehret, and when the time comes, Katherine Kemp.  These pioneers and others paved our way; without them would there even be a Centralia College?  I am a strong supporter of retaining this legacy by naming buildings and spaces after them.

Nita Taylor

I’m really feeling “OLD.” I can remember sitting on the third floor of the old Centralia High School watching the Student Center and Lingreen  being built (1962). Since starting work here in 1966 I have seen many changes and it was more than sad to see Lingreen Hall going down.  Soon all the original buildings will be gone and replaced with new.  As it should be.

The Centralia College Foundation hosted the recent grand opening of the Centralia College New Science Center located at Washington and Walnut Streets. The impressive 70,000 square foot building houses labs for Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology, and Geology. A large tiered classroom accommodates 150 students in a lecture style classroom. There are numerous general classrooms and breakout rooms. There is an observation deck and greenhouse located on the third floor.

During the grand opening guests were allowed to do self-guided tours and enjoy refreshments. A short program was held in the lobby where guests heard about the planning process from Steve Ward, vice president of Administration and Financial Services; about the importance of the building to the faculty and staff from Dr. Steve Norton, associate professor at Centralia College; and finally about the importance of the building to the community and future of the sciences in our nation from Larry McGee, friend of the college.

During the short ceremony the college’s first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Scholars were also introduced. Over 80 local high school seniors were nominated for this prestigious award by their respective high school principals and counselors. The recipients will receive a full-ride scholarship for two years while attending Centralia College along with funding for books and will receive $1,000 per year for two additional years when they transfer to a four year institution providing they continue to pursue a STEM related subject.

This year’s recipients are: Joshua Miller from WF West High School, Molly Yoder from Tenino High School, and Justine White from WF West High School. We congratulate these fine scholars on their accomplishment and wish them all the best as they pursue their education at Centralia College.

Centralia College’s Job Fair this year was a huge success. We had over 720 attendees, over 50 employers, and two workshops. This year’s attendance far exceeded previous years. And the evaluations were extremely positive. Employers stated they were busy, almost nonstop answering questions and assisting visitors. We had 150 people sign in during the first 10 minutes of the event! Photos of the job fair will be posted soon….stay tuned!

The Centralia College Foundation will be hosting a grand opening of the new Science Center on the Centralia College campus on Thursday, April 16^th from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be demonstrations and presentations by faculty that will begin every 15 minutes and a short program in the lobby from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. A short Science documentary film will be shown continuously in the large tiered classroom and the telescope will be out on the observation deck. There will be light refreshments provided and the public is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact the foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

Centralia College Foundation, in partnership with Centralia Providence Hospital and West Coast Bank, will be hosting Advantage 2009 in Washington Hall on the Centralia College campus on Friday, March 27th. A day of workshops geared to business professionals and retirees begins at 8 a.m. with blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure checks (must fast the night before). Other workshop offerings include: Business Succession Planning, Cash Managment Solutions for Businesses, Identity Theft, The Importance of Estate Planning, Fitness for Seniors, Microsoft Office – Word 2007 Tips, and How to Get Information Out of the Internet. The day of workshops is free but preregistration is encouraged and those who preregister will get a free lunch. For more information or to register for this free event, please call the Foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.