10 Things You Didn’t Know About EvCC’s 75-Year History

Editor’s note: Originally published June 13, 2017. Republished July 7, 2022.

1. College fail: Washington's first junior college started in 1915 in Everett when 42 students began a one-year college program on the top floor of Everett High School. It closed in 1923 for lack of students.

2. The Everett School District tried again in 1941, opening Everett Junior College in a former elementary school. But just 12 days later, a citywide election was held to see if EJC could stay there. If voters decided no, the college would have closed again. Thanks to 2,609 voters, Snohomish County’s first college stayed open and has continued to educate students for 75 straight years.

3. The current north Everett campus was built in 1958, but the buildings didn’t have names until 1966. Before that, they were known by numbers.

Taken from Olympus Hall looking east, that’s Monte Cristo Hall on the left and Cascade Hall, which was destroyed by arson in 1987, on the right.

4. On Oct 24, 1966, Robert Kennedy & Senator Henry Jackson spoke to hundreds of EJC students and community members at the college's student union.

5. The Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield performed live at Everett Community College on Feb. 1, 1968. According to the student newspaper, The Clipper, tickets cost $3, $4 or $5. The Clipper only mentions the Beach Boys’ performance. Both bands played the next day at Seattle Center.

6. If you haven’t visited EvCC’s Everett campus in the last decade, you might not recognize it. More than $150 million in new construction has been added since 2008, including the college’s new student housing buildings, Mountain View Hall (2016) and Cedar Hall (opening September 2017).

Cedar Hall will open in September across the street from the Starbucks on Broadway.

7. 17 EvCC alumni have been drafted by Major League Baseball since the college’s baseball program was restarted in 2005 including Texas Rangers pitcher Keone Kela.

8. EvCC Seahawks? Students selected the Trojan as the college’s mascot in 1942. Other mascot options: Pioneers, Lumberjacks and Seahawks.

9. If you visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., look for a self portrait by EvCC-educated artist Chuck Close.
Link: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=919

10. EvCC is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a free community celebration 4-6 p.m. on June 14, 2017, at EvCC’s Walt Price Student Fitness Center. The college will honor distinguished alumni from a variety of programs, present outstanding community service awards to retired staff who have made significant contributions to their communities, and highlight 75 years of service to the community.

To see more moments from the college’s 75-year history, check out #EvCC75 on Instagram.

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