This year marks the centennial of City College, and one man specializes in sharing stories about the school’s history: former City College librarian Jack Halligan.
Halligan has a passion for history, with a special place in his heart for the places he’s been.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved history,” says Halligan. “When I came to Sacramento in 1968, I immediately realized the rich history of the city and the college.”
Over the course of 28 years as a City College librarian, Halligan learned about the school by talking to faculty and doing research. He was part of an oral history program that recorded interviews with retiring teachers each year. After 12 years, Halligan began leading history tours around the school.
“Around 1980, I started giving history tours of the campus during staff development days,” says Halligan. “Since I retired in ’96, I still lead campus tours.”
As part of the school’s 100th anniversary celebration, campus Media Services recorded videos of Halligan around campus, detailing highlights of City College’s history.
Halligan’s history with City College began in June 1968. Driving from Canada to his home in San Diego, he made a stop in Sacramento.
“I stopped in to see the director of the City College library,” says Halligan. “Before I left that day I was offered a job. Two days later I took it, and I’ve been here ever since.”
As he witnessed the most turbulent counter-culture decades on campus, he found joy in leading employees, faculty and students alike, on tours of the campus. He tells true stories as seen through the eyes of a devoted City College librarian, including the changes the school went through during the Vietnam War.
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“When I came here in 1968, the enrollment was at 6,000,” says Halligan. “That was in the early years of the Vietnam War. By the time the war ended, we had an enrollment of 19,000.”
Halligan witnessed the anti-war sentiment present on campus during the Vietnam War.
“Draftees gathered at the federal building on the mall downtown,” says Halligan. “Students from the college came to get them to not take that step forward and enlist.”
“When our country bombed
Cambodia, three or four of the teachers held their classes outside,” says Halligan. “The theme of the classes was ‘no business as usual.’ So they didn’t teach their regular classes … they just talked about the war.”
Apart from being an observer of history, Halligan also left his mark on it. In 1977, after the demolition of the Classroom Administration building, he and a committee opened up a time capsule from 1926. They added several items and closed it up, including a fake gold nugget from Halligan.
Unlike that fake gold nugget, Halligan considers City College to be a truly valuable resource.
“I had a great career there,” says Halligan. “I loved it the first day I stepped into the library, believe me.”
The video tours can be viewed at www.scc.losrios.edu/sccat100/looking-back/scc-history-tour-jack-halligan