By Chris Cooper

In 1967, when a gallon of gas cost just 33 cents and Dustin Hoffman played The Graduate on the big screen, Delaware County Community College welcomed its first class of future graduates.

To help celebrate the college’s golden anniversary, the public is invited to the Marple Campus tomorrow for a day filled with events and activities for the entire family.

There will be two parts to the day’s celebration, according to Michelle Tooker, the college’s Assistant Director of Public Relations and Publications.

“The first part of the day, Community Day, will be a chance for the community to come on campus and see what the college is all about,” she said. “The second part of the celebration we are calling a homecoming, which will be more for alumni and friends of the college.

“It’s just a whole day of events to encourage people to come back or come to the college for the first time, and check out what we have to offer. And it all ties into our 50th anniversary.”

Community Day will have something for everyone. The college’s Community Education Office, which runs summer camps for children, will provide arts and crafts, face painting, and carnival games with prizes. The Phillie Phanatic will also make a special appearance. Adults will get tours of the campus with demonstrations and exhibits at various sites, including the Advanced Technology Center, the Human and Physiology Laboratory, and Art Gallery.

There will also be free vision screening and free food and refreshments for everyone.

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Among the many homecoming activities are alumni soccer and baseball games, a President’s luncheon for retired faculty and staff, a panel discussion on the state of the legal profession, and an alumni awards presentation.

Guests are also invited to a reception with the college’s new president, Dr. L. Joy Gates Black, who will later host a time-capsule burial in the campus courtyard.

Kathy Breslin, Delaware County Community College’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement, wants the time capsule to contain objects that will be meaningful to future students and administrators.

“It will be up to future populations to decide when to open it, but I want this to be very personal,” said Breslin.

The new capsule will contain letters from current to future students, along with speeches and other scholarly works from current faculty. Additional contents may include a flip phone, a selfie stick, a current fashion magazine, the school newspaper, and a collection of emojis.

Breslin will also invite guests to the 50th-anniversary celebration to write a message to someone who may not read it for another 50 years.

“It’s a way for people to participate in the event and actually feel part of the future,” she said.

Tooker said the college is anticipating a large turnout for the day’s festivities.

“We haven’t had an event of this scale on the campus for a long time,” she said. “And it’s great that we have been able to serve both Chester and Delaware counties for 50 years now.”

Click here for more information and tomorrow’s schedule of events on the Marple Campus of Delaware County Community College.

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