Page 31 - Laker Connection Fall 2009

cane questions and ridiculous prizes. The “Snow Jam” activities in the early 90’s included snow sledding behind the Student Center two years running (or rather, sledding).
Student Government was large and active on campus in the 70’s and 80’s. Current Director of Libraries Gordon Baker was an SGA Representative in 1972-73. The average age of the SGA officers hovered around 30 and most of the SGA members were also active in other campus clubs and organizations. The SGA sponsored
Halloween parties for underprivileged chil-
dren in the local area.
Santa visited campus in
December. James Sell-
ers, an African-Ameri-
can, was the College’s
first SGA President.
Former SGA President
Cynthia Dollar became
the first junior college
SGA President to chair
the University System’s
Student Advisory Coun-
cil. Many SGA leaders
have gone on to solid
careers over the years. Dollar is now an attorney and James Jernigan, an SGA President in the late 1970’s, is founder and president of the 1-800-TVCREWS video production company.
The Christmas Ball took place at lo- cations like the Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel located in mid-town Atlanta and the Crowne Plaza near the airport. Most years the Ball was held at an Atlanta hotel or conference center with one at- tracting 700 students, faculty and guests. Tuxedos abounded and most of the male students at least dressed up in a coat and tie in the early years, though later years saw more casual at- tire. Normally there were nine dances on campus each year in the 70’s (they took place in the cafeteria, then located in the lower level of the Student Center Building). Each year up to 20 feature
films were presented as part of the Fri- day Night Flicks series and thousands of children were entertained at the “kid- die” films over the years.
Intramural sports in 1972-73 fea- tured teams like the Flatworms, Bud- boys, Cut Throats and the faculty team, Hombres. An All-Star team represented CJC at the Carling Beer Bowl in Atlanta in the fall of ‘72. You got to play flag football and drink all the beer you wanted after the game. Who could re- sist?
Bo, flowers in hand, kisses a pig for a fundraiser.
Lyceum was in its early days in 1972. Programming staples included stu- dent and faculty recitals, lectures by faculty and guest speakers and art ex- hibits. Lyceum pro- gramming grew much stronger later that decade and into the 80’s and beyond. Lec- turers included four Nobel Prize winners, Oscar and Emmy-
award winning ac-
tors and major
Alex Haley of “Roots” fame. Georgia Governors, U.S. Senators and U.S. Repre- sentatives frequently
spoke in G-132, the cafeteria and B-15 in
those days. The annual purchase award art competi- tion began in the mid-70’s... many of the paintings around campus were provided through these contests.
Presidents at other Univer- sity System schools frequently asked, “Why can’t we have this sort of quality program at our school?” This was a source of
Rob and Bo at the groundbreaking for the University Learning Center, now named the James M.Baker University Center
The face of a man very prepared to be dunked. Rob at the 1996 Southern Crescent Celebration.
A Christmas Ball from the early 1970s.
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