College Celebrates 60 Years

Tri-County Celebrates 60 Years

In each issue of Connection throughout 2022, we will celebrate the College’s diamond anniversary through photos and fun facts to highlight the events which have shaped the College into the role model for community college education that it is today.

Sixty years ago, on April 7, 1962, Tri-County Technical College made South Carolina history by becoming the first multi-county technical institute in the state.

Tri-County was founded in 1962 when tri-county leaders pooled their resources to plan the College after Act 323, Section 23, of the South Carolina General Assembly established the State Committee for Technical Education and provided for the establishment of regional centers.

Governor Ernest (Fritz) Hollings signed Act 905 of the General Assembly on April 7, 1962, creating what would eventually become Tri-County Technical College.

Tri-County Technical Education Center opened its doors September 10, 1963, and attracted 919 students during its first year of operation. W.T. (Bill) Yarborough was hired as the first executive director. The curricula included Electronics Technology, Machine Shop, Welding, Air Conditioning, Automotive Mechanics, Drafting and Design, Chemical Technology, Industrial Technology, Textile Technology, Industrial Electricity, and other engineering technologies. The facility housed a canteen, a library, machine shop, electronics lab, and auto mechanics shop.

Over the next eight years, Yarborough would lead the institution’s growth from one building and 919 students to three structures and more than 1,600 students. Under the leadership of Yarborough, the College added two buildings, Anderson Hall in 1968 and Miller Hall in 1970.

In October of 1971, Don C. Garrison of Easley was appointed executive director following the resignation (in September of 1971) of Yarborough. The College achieved a milestone the next month when it was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Upon the recommendation of the Commission on Colleges, delegates to the annual SACS convention in Miami unanimously voted December 1, 1971, to grant the College a 10-year accreditation.

Through the years, Tri-County expanded its offerings with courses in allied health, human services, and college transfer courses (Associate in Arts and Sciences, now University Transfer). Tri-County was the second technical institution in the state to gain approval to offer college parallel courses after the South Carolina General Assembly enacted Act 1268 on May 25, 1972,

making it possible for technical education centers to add Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees to their programs of study.

The name of the institution was changed by an act of the State Board of Technical and Comprehensive Education on April 10, 1973. Now Tri-County Technical College, the name change more clearly identified the institution as a postsecondary educational facility emphasizing technical training but offering freshman and sophomore transfer courses.

Don C. Garrison

Alumni Association Established In 1985

The Tri-County Technical College Alumni Association was established in 1985 and officers were officially inducted into office on May 30, 1985.

Dana Robertson (now Griffith), a 1983 graduate of Radio and Television Broadcasting, was named president. Griffith returned to Tri-County in 2009 as a speech instructor in the Arts and Sciences Division.

John Powell was vice president of special events. He is a 1972 graduate of the Business/Marketing program and is owner of Powell Real Estate. In 2010 he was named to the College’s Commission to represent Oconee County.

The late Bob Chiles, of Anderson, was named vice president for membership. A 1974 alumnus of the Engineering Graphics Technology program, Chiles spent 28 years as a counselor in various capacities on campus.

Dorothy (Dot) Bradley, of Seneca, was voted the organization’s secretary. She graduated from the Secretarial Science (now Automated Office Technology) program in 1976 and retired in 2009 after 33 years of state service,

Scott Webber was the treasurer. He graduated in 1979 from the Industrial Electronics Technology program and spent his career in the banking industry. In 2008, he was honored with Tri-County Technical College’s Distinguished Alumni Award highlighting his dedication to his alma mater.

First Alumni Association officers are pictured from left: Dana Robertson, president; Scott Webber, treasurer; John Powell, vice president of special events; Bob Chiles, vice president for membership; and Dot Bradley, secretary.

Associate Degree Nursing Program Begins in 1981

Soon after Clemson University announced it would terminate its associate degree Nursing program in 1981, TCTC initiated the lengthy process of implementing the program. Peggy Deane, then-vice president of nursing at Anderson Memorial Hospital, was elected chair of the 11-member advisory board. Tri-County began its associate degree Nursing program in the fall quarter of 1981. The next year classes opened with a capacity enrollment of 24 students.

The first and only memorial to the military veterans in Upstate South Carolina who paid the supreme sacrifice in Vietnam was dedicated May 25, 1980. Dr. Don Garrison participated in an annual Memorial Day service.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The first memorial to military veterans from Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties who died in Vietnam is located at the main entrance to Tri-County’s Pendleton campus.

The College dedicated its Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the first in the state, on May 25, 1980, with the honorable William Jennings Bryan Dorn, former commander of the South Carolina American Legion, addressing the crowd. President Don Garrison conceived the idea of the memorial which is an impressive lighted flag plaza at the main entrance to the campus. It has three 3’ x 5’ marble markers listing the names of the veterans from the tricounty area who paid the supreme sacrifice in Vietnam.

The flags, poles, monuments, and stonework were provided by contributions from the students, faculty, and staff and Veterans Club of Tech, the American Legion, and the family and friends of the late Johnny Purser.

Two other monuments memorialize Purser, former coordinator of Tri-County’s Veteran’s Affairs until his untimely death in an automobile accident on August 4, 1978, and tell the purpose of the plaza. The center monument is engraved with this message: “In Memoriam: This patriotic plaza is dedicated to the memory of the courageous men of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties who paid the supreme sacrifice in the Vietnam conflict. Their answer to the call of their country distinguishes them as eternal bearers for free people everywhere.”