Guide to Searching for LaGuardia Community College History
If you are curious about why our college is here in Long Island City, there are many things you will discover in our Institutional Archives.
The location of the Institutional Archives is in the Library E building Room 101. Like any special collection of rare and research materials, we can best serve you if you call ahead and make an appointment so we can help you with your research. Our phone number is 718-482-5434. The Archives also has many resources available online. Some of these are currently accessed from CUNY+, the online catalog of the City University of New York. Others are located in DSpace, a digital repository. We are making many resources available for quick reference and further study.
College Publications and Documents | Frequently Asked Questions
Publications
If you are curious about what students and staff have written and college events over the years, the Institutional Archives has publications and related files. You will discover print and online files recording many college publications and events.
LiveWire. The Archive in print is in Institutional Archives and online from the College homepage. LiveWire is a monthly publication issued by LaGuardia's Marketing and Communications department.
http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/livewire/
Insider, a predecessor to LiveWire.
http://dspace.nitle.org/handle/10090/22898
Perspective, The Bridge, Fiorello's Flute, and more.
All available on DSpace.
A widely used booklet, LaGuardia Community College: The First 25 Years by Terry Golway was prepared for the 25th Anniversary of the college. The Archives has a print copy but you can view the full-text here: http://hdl.handle.net/10090/22899.
LaGuardia's first graduation was a small one in front of Educational associates from the NYC Board of Education that took place in December 1972. The event was noted and published in the Perspective, the name of the college newsletter at the time: http://dspace.nitle.org/bitstream/handle/10090/23408/Perspective_newsletter_1973_Jan_12.pdf?sequence=1 (PDF)
In September 1973 LaGuardia's first full graduation was held on the Queens College campus. In the photo you will see our first President and founder Dr. Joseph Shenker. In the background you will see a smiling woman seated slightly behind President Shenker as he congratulated a graduate. This is the Hon. Shirley Chisholm who was the first African American female Congresswoman from Brooklyn. Later that same year she became the first female Presidential candidate.
If you want to learn more. search the historic New York Times available online via the Library: http://library.laguardia.edu/home/index.php?/research/database/subject/newspapers/.
To learn more about our College and president you can search under his name and also use the terms LaGuardia Community College.
The Institutional Archives has a collection of photos and selected papers of President Shenker . We have the full clip of one of his talks from 1967. The talk is availabe on reserve from the Archives.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the College founded?
January 22, 1968. The Board of Higher Education passed a resolution to establish Community College Number 9.
How did it get its name?
The college was not named but simply called "Community College No. 9" when it was established. It was officially named Fiorello H. LaGuardia Community College by a resolution of the Board of Higher Education in October, 1970. Visit the Institutional Archive to see the Proclamation.
Who was Fiorello H. LaGuardia?
The 99th Mayor of New York City.
He was known as a tireless, honest man, a consummate humanitarian and politician. You can see a statue of him in the E-Building Atrium near the Library.
This same forceful representation of the former Mayor also stands on the Plaza of LaGuardia Place and East 3rd Street in Manhattan.
He was son of immigrant parents and was born in NYC in 1882. He was elected for 3 terms of office as Mayor beginning in 1933. The Little Flower, a translation of his first name, was elected as a Fusion party candidate. He was progressive and believed in the ideals of equality and fairness. This nickname is the source of the historic little flower logo of the College that was transformed into a dynamic but still meaningful association as our new logo.
As Mayor, LaGuardia saw the City through the some of the terrible times during the Economic Depression and World War 2, 1933-1945.
His knowledge of Washington politics, his good relationship with President Roosevelt and his drive brought construction of roads, playgrounds, public housing and health facilities to New York City. He fought the political machines and crime and won almost legendary status and the affection of many in the City. He had also been a successful Congressman who fought for union rights. Early in his career he served as an interpreter for immigrants on Ellis Island where he used his knowledge of five languages.
LaGuardia was an aviator. He was commissioned First Lieutenant in United States Air Service in 1917. He was promoted to Major in which position he saw action at front between Italy and Austria during World War I. At the end of his career he was appointed to a diplomatic position by President Franklin Roosevelt. Mayor LaGuardia died from a serious illness in 1947.
For more information about LaGuardia's life and work and to see photos go to: The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives E 238 or Visit their website: http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/
Why are there flags in M-building\Shenker Hall?
As part of a Diversity initiative in our 25th Year, the then Secretary General of the United Nations was invited to campus. The College requested and received flags from all over the world that represented our diverse students and even then, in 1990, our global perspective on education and citizenship education for all.
Please enjoy this poem about the flags by longtime faculty member Professor Daniel Lynch:
"On the Occasion of the Rededication of the Hall of Flags."
Daniel Lynch, January 15th, 2003
In the hall, the flags whisper to each other at night.
It's spooky, but it's true.
We are the flags of LaGuardia, they say.
We have made a fresh start.
We have left behind all that bad history:
the orphans in uniform with AK-47's,
the empty, silent, smoking villages,the border disputes,
the genocides,and all those speeches,
the ranting, empty words, drooling from loudspeakers.All that "stuff" we left behind.
Here we're all equal,
all the same size,
all very proper and rectangular,
except Nepal, who is one pennant stacked on another, like the Yankees,
who is in Computer Information Systems,
and wanted to string fiber optic cable
from Himalayan peak to Himalayan peak,
but is going wireless,
for wireless is the future
and LaGuardia is about the future.
Here, we are peers,
and we peer edit each other's essays
looking for the truth in our thesis sentences.Here the double eagle of Albania flies off with the parrot of Dominica to register for Veterinary Sciences.
Here the great Andean condor of Ecuador and eagle of Mexico
swoop through the liberal arts,
exploring internships,
exploring transfer,
exploring the pride in our GPA's of 4 point 0.
clutched in our talons.
Here the women who stitched the flags have traded in needle and thimble
for a computer, a calculator and a microscope.
Here instead of the tripwire of war we have Livewire
and new programs and new hopes,
new ways to earn our livings,
new lives to write home about.
Here we have left behind all the hereditary enemies,
but we join together to face a tuition raising governor.Here the stars jump off our banners and flock together to star in our musicals.
Here the color white jumps off all the flags
to get together and form a peace movement,
because we all know about war,
we know far, far too much about war,
and we are here to tell you war is no good thing.Here all the colors revel in our colorfulness.
Here all the radiant sunbursts warm us in the cold of winter.
Isn't it amazing that we are all here?
We bless you today: Peace be upon this happy place.
Peace be upon us all.
Who were the Presidents of the College?
Joseph Shenker. Appointed as the First President April 29, 1970 - 1989.
He later became the Provost of Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, Brookville, NY.
Learn more about President Shenker and why the M Building was dedicated to him from the Archives collections, related Institutional reports and from the Historic New York Times. (Available via http://library.laguardia.edu/home/index.php?/research/database/subject/newspapers/). More information can also be found in the program from the 2008 dedication of Shenker Hall.
Raymond Bowen, September 18, 1990 - 1999.
Gail O. Mellow, appointed, April 2000; officially inaugurated October 16, 2001.
When were the first classes held at the College?
September 1971.
Who were the students? How big was the first student body?
In all there were 537 students in the first freshman class. There were 312 women and 225 men.
44% of the first class were not born in the United States.
White 72%
Black 19%
Puerto Rican 6%
Asian 0.8%
Native American 0.2%
Other 3%
When was the first graduation?
The first Degrees awarded were Education Associates for para-professionals of New York City Board of Education in December 1972.
The first full Graduation was held on September 16, 1973. The New York Times article about that day can be read below.
"La Guardia College Holds Its First Commencement." New York Times (1923-Current file), September 17, 1973, http://rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/119790006?accountid=11946