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Pasadena City College’s Student Newspaper, the Courier, Marks 100th Year

Published on Monday, February 23, 2015 | 5:25 am
 

The Pasadena City College Courier, one of the oldest student-run community college newspapers in the state, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.

From the first black and white newsprint issue released Feb. 4, 1915 – when the college was still a high school – to where it stands today as a weekly publication distributed in both printed and digital formats, the Courier has been an integral part of PCC’s long and storied history.

“I think it’s fantastic that it’s not only lasted this long, but it’s considered one of the best student newspapers in the state,” said Mikki Bolliger, a retired PCC journalism professor who served as advisor to the Courier from 1973 to 2009.

To commemorate the milestone, the Courier and the PCC Shatford Library organized an exhibit in the library’s rotunda. Various copies of the newspaper throughout its century-long run were put on display. The exhibit also showcases several antique press machines that were used to print the publication on campus.

As the college evolved – first from a high school in 1913 to a junior college in 1924 – so, too, did the Courier. The newspaper would go through several name changes throughout the century to reflect the times.

“It was first called the PHS Chronicle in 1915,” said Manya Manee Hakopyan, a library technician and archivist for the Shatford Library. “In 1931, it changed to the Pasadena Chronicle.”

Almost three decades later, long after the college was established as a junior college in 1924, the newspaper was called the PCC Chronicle, Hakopyan said.

The newspaper finally settled on the Courier in 1954. “There have been so many changes with the Courier that it’s almost hard to imagine that when I first started we used ribbon typewriters, and we printed the issues on the same machines that are on display at the exhibit,” said Bolliger, who was advisor for more than 1,000 issues.

A special issue commemorating the anniversary will be released in April, according to Phillip McCormick, current editor-in-chief of the newspaper. The issue will feature articles chronicling the Courier’s history and coverage throughout the years.

“Some of the articles will cover the first few years of the Courier to the biggest crime story the paper ever covered, and up to today’s recent events,” he said.

McCormick also said he and Nagisa Mihara, Courier photo editor, spent the entire winter break researching archival material to put together the special issue. At least 22 staff members will be working on it, including Antonio Gandara, an alumnus who works for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gandara will serve as a design consultant for the issue, which is scheduled to be released in April.

“It’s been a privilege,” McCormick said. “It’s a great feeling to know that I’ve been placed in charge of doing something for this anniversary. A 100 years comes once in a lifetime, and I’m super glad that I’m involved.”

To read the Courier online, visit www.pcccourier.com.

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