For more information, contact Michael Dawes, 620-792-9307, dawesm@bartonccc.edu

Oct. 14, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Story by: Michael Dawes
dawesm@bartonccc.edu

During his first few weeks at Barton Community College, history instructor Gary Kenyon’s podium was a lower-level seat in the gymnasium where he lectured to students sitting a few seats above. His office was a carrel in the library where he packed up his belongings every afternoon only to bring them back the next morning.

He wasn’t alone. More than two dozen instructors were hired for the 1970-71 academic year as sophomore-level classes were added to the community college, which was gearing up for its second year. Signs of continued start-up were obvious. Construction continued and the second wave of buildings were nearing completion, including the Classroom Building, the venue where many of the new instructors were to pursue their craft.

“Most of the second group set up in study carrels in the library,” remembered Dr. Paul Maneth, who came on board that year as the College’s counselor. “They would come get us one by one as the offices were completed.”

A few weeks into the semester, Classroom Building construction was complete. But the teaching environment was far from normal with construction still ongoing. There were no parking lots, only dirt fields around the buildings where people parked a mere 10 feet away from their classrooms. That convenient parking perk became a mud pit when it rained and it sometimes caused distraction to the learning environment.

“I recall one of the early classes after lunch,“ said Kenyon, who recorded 32 years as a Barton instructor. “We started hearing loud noises outside. Right outside the window, we could see a girl’s car was stuck in the mud; she was trying to get her speed up and a group of boys was pushing the car. Mud was flying everywhere. It was difficult to keep the class going after that.”

Even with construction-zone distractions, learning did occur in those early years. Charlie Brown came to Barton as a life sciences instructor in fall 1970 after teaching 14 years at Great Bend High School and completing more than 60 hours beyond graduate school related to biology and counseling. He joined Barton’s original life sciences instructor Sherman Nystrom and the two highly-credentialed instructors taught together for many years.

Second-Year Employees

“Sherm and I worked well together,” said Brown, who retired from Barton in 1993. “We made a good team. When (then Director of Technical and Vocational Education) Jimmie Downing hired me, he reported that we ought to have the best biology department in the state among the two-year colleges and I’m not denying that we might have had that at the time.”

Brown also received high praise from his students, even from university students who took his biology classes during the summer.

“The size of the enrollment in the summer was prominently university students,” said Brown. “Bragging a bit, but many of them came up and told me, ‘Mr. Brown, you are the best instructor.’ Part of that is because they were getting instruction from graduate assistants at the universities. They didn’t have as much interaction with their professors. That was part of it, I’m sure, but it was still complimentary to hear them say that. I take pride in my teaching.”

Maneth, who served 29 years at Barton and retired as Dean of Instruction, remembers those early days as financially lean times, but at the same time, rewarding times because of accomplishments at the new college. Faculty and staff served a dual purpose of servicing students, while simultaneously establishing the new organization. It created a sense of ownership for those early employees, he stated. Most of the nearly 70 educators who came to Barton those first two years at enjoyed long careers with the College.

“Part of that long-term commitment is because they came and built the college from the ground up,” explained Maneth. “It was a part of their lives and not something they could easily walk away from. They felt like they had a real part of the beginning history and played a significant role in the success of the College. That sense of pride intensified their ownership in Barton. Those who came in the early years know the struggle and the hard work put into getting it up and running.”

Indeed, the early years of the College included work and sacrifice, but there were elements of camaraderie and kidding, too. Close friendships were forged over time as employees shared common bonds and related experiences with co-workers.

“The original crew lorded it over us, the fact that we came the second year and that they were charter members,” said Maneth.

Brown returned the ribbing to those chartered faculty members.

“I always admired the quality of those first-year instructors they hired,” said Brown. “They were all strong. In a humorous way, I’d say, ‘Yes, but when they started offering advanced courses then they hired the second-year teachers because they needed more depth in their instructors.’ They always laughed at that, and rightly so.”

Second-Year Employees

Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Lou Kottmann ended an era when he became the last second-year employee to retire in July 2006, more than a decade after the last original faculty member left Barton. Kottmann wore many hats at the College, but served much of that time in his original capacity as a mathematics instructor. He said he enjoyed every phase of his career at Barton, but does look upon those early years as special beyond compare.

“I look back at that time now and realize that was really the strength of the college, the exceptional faculty and staff that students got to interact with and benefit from, even in the College’s very beginning,” said Kottmann. “That group made an immediate impact on those students in terms of quality of education and opportunity and I believe that carried forward in the years following.”

Serving more than 13,000 students annually today, the College has grown significantly since those first years. That growth is the result of efforts by many people over a long period of time, said Brown.

“I think the large enrollment speaks well for College employees as a whole,” said Brown. “From janitors, librarians, helpers, instructors, administrators, trustees, they all had a hand in its success and where it is today.”

“The growth is a positive indicator that people are pleased with the quality of education students are getting at Barton,” added Kenyon. “It is a satisfying feeling being part of that foundation.”

Rocking Chair Moment – Lou Kottmann sits with his grandchildren, Elisa and Alex Trujillo, in the rocking chair presented to him as a retirement gift during a June 2006 reception in his honor at Barton Community College. With his retirement, Kottmann ended the era of those employees working at the College who came during the institution’s first two years. Leaving his legacy at Barton, Kottmann is the originator of Jack Kilby Science Day, which is gearing up for its sixth run at Barton on Tuesday.