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Names of buildings reflect service of educators, others

Published 9/12/2009 in GCCC Anniversary

When the Garden City Community College campus was dedicated in 1969, the various original structures were given generic designations, such as Library, Science-Math Building and Physical Education Building, but the GCCC Board of Trustees has since named a number of the structures in honor of educators or others who have made a positive impact on the college.

In addition, certain facilities within campus buildings have been named in recognition of gifts or service to student learning. The designations include:

Beth Tedrow Student Center

Photo slideshow: GCCC building namesakes 9-12-09

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Brad Nading/Telegram — Beth Tedrow, right, receives a hug from Garden City Community College Board of Trustees chairman Dr. William Clifford in January 2004 after Clifford announced that the college's new student center will be named after Tedrow during a dedication ceremony.

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Laurie Sisk/Telegram — Gary Jarmer points out some of the equipment in the Garden City Community College ammonia program in November 2007. The building has been renamed to honor Jarmer, the former dean and founder of the program.

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Brad Nading/Telegram — Israel Mezquita caulks around a set of windows on the Penka Building addition in July 2009 at Garden City Community College. Mezquita is with Dick Construction.

Beth Tedrow retired as dean of student services in May of 2009 after 47 years of service. She began in 1962 as a part-time math instructor, also serving later as dean of women, counselor and director of admissions. The building was dedicated in her honor, as a surprise, when the portico and west addition to the original 1968 structure opened in 2004. Beth Tedrow still lives in Garden City.

Penka Building of Practical Arts and Sciences

Sister Aquinata Penka was a Catholic nun who served as the second director of the GCCC nursing program for about five years during the 1970s, when the program was new. At that time, the nursing program was located where Criminal Justice and the GCCC Department of Public Safety are housed today in the John Collins Vocational Building. The building was named in Sister Aquinata's honor when it opened in 1986. Sister Aquinata died several years ago.

Thomas F. Saffell Library

Thomas Saffell was the third president of GCCC, serving in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, retiring in 1988. Originally just called the GCCC Library, the structure was part of the original campus construction project that started in 1968, and was named in Saffell's honor when he retired. Saffell lives in Wichita. One segment of the library was designated the Hope Study Skills Center many years ago, honoring the name of Garden City leader Clifford Hope. The library also contains the Mary Jo Williams Comprehensive Learning Center, a tutoring and enrichment facility made possible by generous gifts for academics provided by the Mary Jo Williams Trust of Garden City.

Warren Fouse Science and Math Building

Warren Fouse was a science instructor and Science and Math Division director who taught many years at GCCC, and was already part of the faculty when the present campus opened. The building, originally just called the Science and Math Building, was named in Fouse's honor when he retired. Fouse died several years ago.

Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building

Pauline Joyce was a longtime member of the GCCC Board of Trustees and was one of the members of the original board when the college became an independent institution in 1965. She and other members of the board were instrumental in getting the present campus built, and she was a champion of the visual and performing arts. The building was expanded in 1986, and dedicated in her honor at that time. Joyce, who died in 2008, served longer as a community college trustee than anyone else in Kansas. People in southwest Kansas often refer to the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Auditorium, but there is actually no facility with that name. While the building is named in Pauline Joyce's honor, the official designation for the theater complex inside is simply the auditorium of the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building.

John Collins Vocational Building

John Collins also was a longtime member of the Board of Trustees, and former chairman. He was a local businessman and strong advocate of vocational and technical education, and he played a leading role in getting the structure approved and built. The building was named in his honor after it opened in 1975. He died some years ago.

Gary Jarmer Technical Annex

Dr. Gary Jarmer was dean of technical education for 10 years, retiring in 1998. Before joining the college administration, he served on the Board of Trustees. He was a strong advocate of technical education, and helped initiate a number of new technical and career programs, ranging from Industrial Ammonia Refrigeration to the John Deere Tech Program. He played a leading role in creation of the annex, which opened in 1996. It was named in his honor in 2007. Dr. Jarmer is retired and splits his time between Shell Knob, Mo., and Garden City.

Dennis Perryman Athletic Complex

Dennis Perryman served as director of athletics from 1986 until retiring at the end of 2004. During his tenure, GCCC athletic programs grew dramatically in strength, reputation, quality and stature. The older portion of the building was part of the original campus construction project, and it was expanded in 1986. The building was named in his honor during a retirement celebration in January of 2005. Perryman still lives in Garden City.

Tangeman Athletic Complex

This area east of Campus Drive, developed on college property in cooperation with the city of Garden City, is named in honor of GCCC's fourth president, Dr. James H. Tangeman, who served from 1988 until 2000, during a period of growth and change in programs and services at the college. Tangeman is retired and lives in Wichita.

Katherine C. Jones Tennis Courts

The campus tennis courts, located west of the Dennis Perryman Athletic Complex parking lot, are named in honor of one of the original members of the Board of Trustees. Jones, a Kentucky native and longtime Garden City resident, played a role in establishing the present campus after GCCC became an independent institution. She died in 2005.

Williams Stadium

GCCC's baseball stadium, dedicated in the late 1980s, was built as a gift to the college by the late Garry and Janet Williams of Kokomo, Ind. A son of the couple attended GCCC and played on the baseball team, and the parents were so impressed with the services and attention that he received, as well as the progress he made, that they funded construction of the 400-seat facility, as well as the Broncbuster Baseball Academy that is located east of Campus Drive in what is now known as the Tangeman Athletic Complex.

Mary Jo Williams facilities

This longtime Garden City resident left a legacy, through a trust in her name, that has provided a number of GCCC facilities, including the Mary Jo Williams Piano Lab, Firearms Lab and Comprehensive Learning Center, among others.

Frederick Finnup Computer Lab

A member of one of Garden City's leading early-day families, Frederick Finnup and his sister, Isabel, lived in a home on Ninth Street that still stands as a Garden City landmark. The Finnup Foundation, which carries on the family's tradition of philanthropy, funded GCCC's Frederick Finnup Computer Lab and has provided extensive additional support on campus and in the community.

Mercer Gallery

Mercer Gallery, which opened in the fall of 1989, is named in honor of Clyde Mercer, a longtime Garden City farmer, pilot and teacher who began to create unique metal sculpture in his latter years. Mercer died in the 1960s, and his wife, Maxine Mercer Porter, funded the creation of the art gallery as a tribute. The gallery, located in the west wing of the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building, features eight to nine high-quality public art exhibitions each year. Maxine Mercer Porter is also deceased.

Bill Kinney Conference Room

The Bill Kinney Conference Room, adjacent to the Endowment Room and Broncbuster Room in the original portion of the Beth Tedrow Student Center, is named in honor of longtime Garden City business owner Bill Kinney, who operated Kinney Glass. The right to name the room is sold annually in the GCCC Endowment Association Scholarship Auction, and Carolyn Kinney has been the winning bidder the past several years, designating the room in memory of her late husband. It previously has been named the Schwartz Room and the Salyer Room.

Salmans Student Advisement Center

The Salmans Student Advisement Center, originally located in Saffell Library and later moved to the Student and Community Services Center, was named in honor of M.K. and Agnes Salmans, who provided significant gifts for its establishment. Salmans, who attended GCCC during the early 1930s, made the gift with his wife in December of 1992. A plaque noting the gift reads, "This center is dedicated to providing each student the professional advice necessary for insuring the opportunity for success and a productive future."

Erdene Corley Simulation Lab

The new Erdene Corley Simulation Lab opened in 2009 as an addition to the Penka Building of Practical Arts and Sciences, offering expanded facilities to meet the need for health care education and training in Southwest Kansas. The structure was made possible through a substantial gift from the Erdene Corley Trust. Corley, who died in 2003, was a well-known businesswoman who wanted to enhance the level of medical services and quality of life for fellow Kansans. Her trust also has provided significant additional gifts through the GCCC Endowment Association and the Western Kansas Community Foundation.

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