​Celebrated Past. Boundless Future.

Discover the history of Santa Ana College. As we celebrate our centennial, take a journey through our long and storied history.

1970

Campus clubs included the Ridgerunners, a mountain climbing club, the Don Unders, an aquatic, scuba and water safety club, the United Mexican American Students, and the Black Student Union.

The college yearbook Del Año published its last issue.

Spring: Contracts were awarded for $5 million major redevelopment program to update underground utilities, construct a two-story "Student Personnel-Admissions-Administration Building," expand the library, provide a multi-story Humanities Building, build an addition to the Auto-Diesel facility, double the size of the Women’s Physical Education Building, and construct a large multi-purpose Physical Education Building.

December 6: California Governor Ronald Reagan and Mayor of San Francisco Joseph Alioto addressed more than 600 attendees at the non-partisan intercollegiate conference at “The Political Outlook for California in 1970” at SAC.

1971

With the inauguration of a new corrections program, the name of the overall program was changed to Administration of Justice; student enrollment in this program exceeded 1,000 per semester.

February: The college district was expanded to include both Santa Ana and Orange Unified School Districts.

August 30: The first graduation of the Vocational Nursing Program was held and 25 LVNs graduated.

Fall: There were 5,218 men and 3,110 women enrolled at SAC for a total of 8,337 students. Environmental Studies and Water Utility Science certificates and AA degrees were offered.

1972

The college completed 18 years of annual Bill of Rights Week activities. This year marked the tenth award for campus activities presented to SAC by the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge. These awards, the George Washington Medallions, had been awarded consecutively for the past five years.

SAC Continuing Education classes were held at 23 off-campus sites. Enrollment in credit classes surpassed 10,000 with another 6,000 students in Continuing Education.

February 10: The Board of Nurse Education and Nurse Registration approved the intent of SAC to offer an experimental RN program starting in June 1973.

1973

SAC offered 98 degree and 42 certificate programs. A disabled student center was developed.

Fall: A new paralegal program was inaugurated as part of the Saturday College, which enabled students to complete a degree through Saturday classes.

October 24: The Bill of Rights Freedom Monument, funded by student car washes, pep rallies, swap meets, a jazz rock festival as well as donations, was dedicated. The monument is replica of the Credo Monument in Valley Forge, PA.

December 1: The Dons football team traveled to Mexico City to compete against the Burros Blancos of the Instituto Politécnico. Several hundred boosters, the college band, and friends were there.

1974

Student enrollment hit an all-time high of 23,158, an increase of 19.7% over the previous year. There were a total of 1,025 college employees.

Spring: The College Day at Disneyland attracted 3,800 participants—students and staff alike.

May: Under the artistic direction of muralist Sergio O’Cadiz and his professional assistants, Doris Barker, Emigdio Vazquez and Jennifer Winn, 30 SAC students, many who were MEChA Club members, participated in painting the mural, History and Evolution of the Chicano in the United States. After its completion, the mural was moved to its permanent location in the Nealley Library.

November 8: Voters in Garden Grove Unified School District rejected a proposed annexation to the Coast Community College by a margin of 6,186 votes. Proposition CC would have made the free floating Garden Grove into part of the Coast District forcing students in Garden Grove to attend Orange Coast or Golden West.

November 15: The death-defying dash across 17th Street turned into a leisurely stroll when a new traffic signal was placed midway between College and Bristol Street.

November 22: The accreditation team for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges found Santa Ana College as an "Outstanding Institution."

November 23: The November open house attracted 10,000 visitors to SAC. Dunlap Hall, named in honor of John W. Dunlap the longtime administrative assistant to President Daniel McNaughton, was dedicated. “Sky” Dunlap, who was nearly seven feet tall, developed the Community Services Program and later served as the founder-president of the Santa Ana College Alumni Association. He also served as coordinator of publications and as the yearbook advisor.

December: An episode of NBC-TV’s Police Woman featuring Angie Dickinson was shot in the area surrounding Dunlap Hall.

1975

A 1974 Pinto vehicle was raffled off to students at home basketball and football games. At the basketball games, students were given the chance to shoot a basket from half court for the chance to win. During the football games, students were given the chance to throw a football through tires for the chance to win.

March 16: An affiliate of the Watergate cover-up and former White House lawyer, John Dean hosted a lecture tour throughout the United States and his one stop in Southern California was Santa Ana College.

May 9: Hundreds of students attended a Dave Mason concert at the Cook Gymnasium.

May 15: After 15 months of discussion and debate, the RSCCD Board of Trustees unanimously approved an affirmative action policy that stated the district would make an "intense effort" to achieve an equitable balance among employees comparable to the labor market by recruiting and hiring without discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship or physical handicap.

July: A portion of Garden Grove was added to the college district.

Fall: SAC offered its first course in ground aviation; no fees were charged. The course consisted of flying in adverse weather, instrument rating, aircraft components, air traffic control, and more. SAC became the first community college to offer a major in Women’s Studies.

October 17: Leonard Nimoy spoke at SAC. The first annual chili-eating contest features SAC vs. OCC with teams of five students and 16-ounce bowls of chili.

1976

January 27: All students were permitted toregister by mail, a service that was previously available for students carrying more than 20 units. SAC basketball was rated 10th best in state its first year with a new basketball coach, Rolland Todd.

March: Former campus activist Tom Hayden, a Democratic contender for U.S. Senator, spoke at SAC.

June: For the first time, service pins were presented to longtime employees, including those who had served 30 years, 20 years, 15 years, and 10 years.

October: César Chávez, president of the United Farm Workers Union, spoke to a near capacity crowd in Phillips Hall.

1977

March: Black poet Gwendolyn Brooks gave a reading of her Pulitzer-winning works at SAC.

April: Bryant Gumbel, the NBC sportscaster, was the Journalism Day keynote speaker at SAC.

May 27: Led by Athletic Hall of Famer Nancy Warren, the women’s volleyball team went 49-0 on its way to the National Championship.

1978

October 20: James Lovell, former U.S. astronaut, appeared at SAC to discuss the near disastrous Apollo 13 flight.

1979

Dr. J. William Wenrich became SAC president and would serve until 1984.

January 12: The Board of Trustees of RSCCD approved two new construction projects totaling $4.7 million, including the Santa Ana area Career Education Center (CEC) to be constructed on an urban regional park at Fairview and Edinger Streets as a cooperative undertaking with the County of Orange, the City of Santa Ana and the U.S. Department of Interior. The CEC facility will consist of classrooms, laboratories and career information centers. The second project will be a $3.2 million campus center to replace the obsolete 30-year SAC student union. The estimated 1,400-square-foot, two-story building will encompass what is now the student union, student lounge, health center, snack bar, cafeteria and bookstore.

October 12: After an expenditure of $900,000, the college’s new central general purpose computer began operation. The computer would be mainly used for database management to keep track of 25,000 students, classes, instructors, grades and attendance.

October 19: Ray Bradbury, American fantasy, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and mystery author, spoke to SAC students. 

November 2: Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were arriving in Orange County at the rate of 1,600 per month. SAC rearranged the fourth floor of Dunlap Hall to accommodate faculty for the Indochinese project to help the new U.S. residents and students adjust.