How we got here today–history and legends of WCC

Sasha Hatinger

Staff Writer

Morris Lawrence, former instructor with a campus building named in his honor, and the shovel used to unearth the WCC time capsules, are just a few of the “legends” around campus. Jada Hauser | The Washtenaw Voice

The history of WCC runs deep. Like, two separate time capsules buried on campus, deep.

WCC’s rich history began when the college opened, and on Sept. 12, 1966, 1,200 students enrolled in 30 different programs.

Robert Phillips, manager of Records and Information management, shared his intimate first-hand knowledge of WCC’s legends, history, and ‘myths.’ Phillips attended WCC in the fall of 1981 and graduated in the spring of 1983. His major was automotive mechanics.

According to Phillips and the WCC Catalog archive, automotive programs were held in what was once an old dairy distribution factory in Willow Run Village from 1976 to 1977.

The WCC Catalog archive from 1976-1977 also highlights that classes were held not only in an elementary school built during World War II in Willow Run Village but also in an old fire station, a basement church, and a bowling alley.

Leigh McCormick, records management specialist at WCC, is familiar with the school’s history and how much it has changed compared to its current state.

In her position, she has had the chance to review subject files, “which are just little historical things about the college.”

“My absolute favorite was finding out that the counseling department used to be a truck that would travel around Washtenaw County and get enrollment and get people thinking about coming to the college,” McCormick said.

As far as interesting facts about the history of WCC, McCormick was happy to shine a light.

“I love the fact that this place apparently used to be an apple orchard,” she said. “That’s true.”

“When you say legends, I think about people,” Phillips said. “Morris Lawrence was kind of a legend around here in the music department. He was sort of the birthplace of the Performing Arts and musical stuff here on campus. The Morris Lawrence building was named after him.”

He goes on to explain that from 1994 to 2008, WCC offered a ‘Morris Lawrence Award’ to students.

McCormick shared some interesting details about the two time capsules of WCC.

The original time capsule was buried in 1991 and excavated in 2016. McCormick now owns the shovel that dug up the original time capsule, which was passed down to her in her current position.

Phillips described how the original time capsule was constructed so well by then WCC’s welding department that the contents nearly looked the same as when they were put inside 25 years earlier.

“The paper artifacts and the documents and things [that] were placed in there, they all looked just as the day they were put inside,” he said.

Phillips explained that the second time capsule is from the most recent anniversary of WCC and is outside the Morris Lawrence building. It should be opened on the 75th anniversary of WCC–60 more years to go.

Phillips returned to WCC in 1995 as a part-time student and trained to become a computer technician. He began working for WCC in 1998 and began furthering his education for the third time around 2005 when he began the three-plus-one program between WCC and EMU.

“I’ve always considered myself sort of a success story,” Phillips said. “I really used the college as it was intended–a tool to help one do better.”

Visit WCC’s website to view the catalogue archives.