In recognition of its 100th anniversary, Allan Hancock College announced its plans to host several virtual and live events, starting this month and through its spring 2021 semester (culminating with the commencement of its 100th graduating class in May 2021).
The college will kick off its Centennial Celebration events on Sept. 23, at 10:30 a.m., when past and current Hancock administrators, faculty, and staff will open a time capsule buried on the Santa Maria campus in 1995 (in celebration of the college’s 75th anniversary at the time).
The time capsule opening will be broadcast live on the college’s social media pages as well as the Centennial Celebration’s official website, hancockcollege.edu/100. The website also provides more info on other upcoming events in the series and links to videos, podcasts, archived photos, and other multimedia related to the college’s history.
Hancock originated in 1920, when the Santa Maria High School District established Santa Maria Junior College. The college’s first class consisted of only six students. In 1954, the school was renamed to Allan Hancock College, to honor Capt. G. Allan Hancock, a local community leader who donated the land and facilities of the airfield to the college (originally located at Santa Maria High School before moving due to an expansion in student enrollment).
“Hancock has a hundred-year history of providing a quality education to generations of students in Northern Santa Barbara County,” Kevin G. Walthers, Hancock superintendent and president, said in a statement. “We want to celebrate that important mission for the next 100 years and beyond.”
This article appears in Sep 17-24, 2020.