“As the days grow shorter, and fall majestically settles on the earth, one knows that the timeless festival of Halloween is not far off.”
-Scott Hoye, Highland Voice
October 29, 1986
Halloween means different things to different people and can be celebrated in different ways. Over the years, OCC students and staff have dressed in costumes, thrown parties, written articles, and enjoyed various Halloween activities. It's a holiday that can be counted on to bring out the inner child in all of us. Here's a peek into how we have celebrated Halloween in the past.
Judy Portwood, retired Library Technician, at the Auburn Hills Campus Library with resident skeletal friend. October 2022 |
"Halloween in Retrospect" |
Halloween in Retrospect
"The purchase of 650 pounds of pumpkin was the first step towards the fun-day held on October 30.
Pumpkin painting was enjoyed by many and three especially talented students walked away with top honors. Carol Atkinson, Debbie Robitaille and Lesley Spackey were the pumpkin painting champs.
Apples were also running rampant that day. Al Spong survived the ordeal and was wrung out as top apple bobber.
The inventiveness of the costumes was breath-taking. Strange ‘ladies’ on roller skates, pregnant girl scouts and nuns led the list, with the Blob and Mr. Fat City not far behind. Orville Odden walked away with the grand costume prize - a new pair of hose! Karen Webster ran a close second, with Jack Burer (eminent emcee of the ceremonies) and Lesley Spackey trying hard to be number 3 and 4.
Back to the apples on a string, Paul Burkhart must have had the longest neck- he came out the winner.
Let's have a hearty round of applause for Jack Burger and Deb Bailey as coordinators extraordinaire and master and mistress of a grand day."
-Highland Voice, November 20, 1974
The PlayCare Center children enjoying their Halloween party on campus. (Voice photo by Jim Smith ) |
Reprinted comic by American Cartoonist P. S. Mueller |
“Halloween's symbol” |
Auburn Hills Perceiver, October 24, 1978 |
This article features content from the OCC Publications Collection!
The OCC Archives NEEDS YOU!
The OCC Archives does not have all of our former student newspapers!
If you have information on where some can be found, please contact:
archivesocc@oaklandcc.edu
248-232-4470
“…Black women, dressed in your color of life, your figure of beauty…”
-OCC Association of Black Students, Afro History week pamphlet, 1974
On February 22, 1975, the Oakland Community College Association of Black Students (ABS) held their second fashion show as part of a week-long Afro-History week celebration. The theme: how fashion relates to heritage, past and present.
Fashion is what can be called a collection of styled fabrics, accessories, shoes, and hair styles…a creative outlet that speaks volumes without uttering a single word. Fashion has long reflected ideas, social change, self-expression, social status, cultural groups and identity.
Throughout the 1960s, Black Nationalism continued to rise; and with it, the importance of reclaiming and recognizing African heritage, culture, and even attire. At the same time, the Black Power movement was at the height of its’ influence. Through this spread of black consciousness “African Americans were transforming the way they saw themselves” and how they wished to be perceived (Ogbar, 2004, 2016; Newman, et. al, 2018). |
A member of the OCC Association of Black Students modelling a fashion onstage for the Afro-History Week Fashion Show, 1975 |
OCC ABS Members wearing modern fashions at the Afro-History Week Fashion Show, 1975 |
Fashion was highly influenced by these social and societal changes, becoming a natural conduit for “what some called ‘the new black mood,’” which was sweeping Black America. It was during this time that “many younger African Americans, donned Afros, African-inspired clothes, or [militant styles] often associated with organized black nationalist or revolutionary organizations”. Many historically black colleges and universities also featured African-inspired clothing at their homecoming courts (Ogbar, 2016).
|
OCC ABS members, Afro-History Week Fashion Show, February 22, 1975 |
OCC’s ABS fashion show directly reflects this time period of cultural awareness and identity. The clothing featured not only included traditional African garments, but African- inspired outfits, as well as their everyday fashions of the 1970s.
In their words, “Today more Black students than ever are attending college and are forming organizations dedicated to strengthening the links between college and community. These organizations play major roles in correcting the misconceptions regarding the Black man and his heritage. [This program] is but one contribution of the Association of Black Students at Oakland Community College, to this ongoing process.”
More information about the Association of Black Students can be found in our Historic Materials Collection. |
A dog was recruited to help advertise OCC's ABS Afro-History week activities, February 22, 1975 |
References
Ford, T. C. (2015). Liberated threads: Black women, style, and the global politics of soul (1 edition.). The University of North Carolina Press.
Newman, M., & British Association for American Studies. (2018). Black Nationalism in American History: From the Nineteenth Century to the Million Man March. EUP.
Ogbar, J. O. G. (2016). Black Power: The Looks. In Diouf, S. A. (Sylviane A., & Woodward, K. (Eds.). Black power 50 (pp. 125-133). The New Press.
Ogbar, J. O. G. (2019). Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity (Updated edition.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
This blog post was written by OCC Archives Student Assistant Zoe Gleich in 2023.
The introduction of a new fall tradition can always be exciting for the students and faculty of OCC. Especially for those in the 1970s when canoe racing made its way into Campus activities. 1972 was the year that they started the annual paddling competition. “... teams representing Highland Lakes, Auburn Hills, and Orchard Ridge met at Heavner’s Canoe Rental to compete for the tri-campus canoe race.” The competing divisions were: Men's, Women's, and Coed.
Heavner’s Canoe and Kayak Rental is located on Garden Road near the outskirts of the Village of Milford. The original owners of this establishment were Chester and Stella Heavner, who opened their business up in 1953. The idea of renting boats to the public first came to them when their friends and family members would repeatedly take their handful of boats out to the river. They realized how much people enjoyed being out in the water, so they proceeded to turn it into a business. “In the past 50 years the business has grown to have over 200 specialized canoes and kayaks for rent, as well as for sale.” The company has now been passed down to their grandsons Bruce and Matt (Heavner Canoe & Kayak Rental History, n.d.).
|
"Canoe Race Fizzles Over" OCC Tri-Campus Canoe Race Participants |
Once the students arrived at the boat launch, they were provided with the proper equipment, lifejackets and paddles, and a set of metal canoes that each team would use. The boat launch was found right outside the Proud Lake Recreation Area. When they were sent off, the students would travel down the Huron River until they reached the banks of Central Park; an area located right in the middle of Milford.
At the end of the long trip of 2.6 miles, the faculty and residents of Milford were able to view the exhausted group of students lying on the ground after they plunged through the twists and turns of the Huron.
There was an honorable mention from the race in 1973 after two partners fell into the water. “...the only canoe that flipped was the canoe with Gary Speight and Lynn Keller in it. Thanks to Lynn standing up in the canoe.”
"On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!" |
In the 1975 race, “The only casualty, (person to get wet) was Bob Yates, who decided it would be easier to swim back to the start, than paddle to the finish.” Highland Voice Staff Reporter Patti Galusky writes: "Although the course was only five miles, I personally felt it would never end. At the finish line there were moans of pain and sighs of relief that everyone had made it."Nevertheless, OCC students still had a wonderful time filled with laughter and the occasional splashing at competitors. These races ran on for several more years and helped create stronger team building exercises and relationships for everyone.
References
|
2021 Map of the Huron River and Heavner Canoe Rental
|
Do you have materials that you would like to donate to the Archives? Are you interested in collaborating on a project? Please send an email to archivesocc@oaklandcc.edu or call 248-232-4470 to speak with our College Archivist.
More information on OCC's Tri-Campus Canoe Races can be found in our OCC Publications Collection. |
Canoe Race participants rushing to start the race, ca. 1972 |
Featured Caption Winners!
“When your classmate asks about the homework”
- OCC Student, Nolan Petroski
“Why you little…"
-OCC Student, Chelsea Jallow
“When your classmate forgets to do his part of the group assignment"
-OCC Student, Diana Bautista
“And this is what happens when you don't wear your PPE"
-OCC Student, Suher Salim
“When they laugh so hard at your jokes and say, 'I'm dead'”
-OCC Student, Austin Shaow
“Me and my friend after not going to the library to study for a test.”
-OCC Student, Danae Cervantes
“We'll start from the neck up, if he doesn't wanna talk!!!”
-OCC Student, Kenneth Killebrew
Honorable Mentions!
Women’s History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women and reflect on the initiatives that advanced equity over the years. Where we are today is the result of the tireless work of generations of women spanning from the mid-1800s onward. In each period, women came together “to press collectively for more respect, more freedom, and less discrimination” (Cobble et al., 2014).
While 1848 saw the first Woman’s Rights Convention in New York, women didn’t gain their first nationwide victory until 1920—the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed in Congress and then in 1964 the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, prohibiting race and sex discrimination in employment (Berkeley, 1999; Cobble et al., 2014).
Inspired by the civil rights struggle and the anti-Vietnam War campaign in the late 1960s, a younger generation of women converged to form what became known as the Women’s Liberation Movement. “By the early 1970s, these women collectively created the largest social movement in U.S. history” (Berkeley, 1999). It was during this burgeoning time that Women’s Centers began popping up across college campuses nationwide.
These centers aimed to provide “specialized educational and consulting activities, quality information, non-sexist materials and non-discriminatory counseling and support services” (Mawson, 1979), while “removing barriers to intellectual growth by supporting education equity, violence prevention, and leadership development” (Clark-Taylor et.al, 2021).
The Oakland Community College Womencenter was founded in 1973 by a small group of women students, faculty, and staff. The Center operated as a volunteer organization until 1974 when the counseling department included the Womencenter as an outreach program with Mary White as its director. The Womencenter initially focused on improving campus services for women, providing assistance to new or returning women students, and bringing special outside resources to the campus. As it grew, the Womencenter developed a referral service, sponsored workshops and seminars, and participated in local, state, and national conferences on women and women’s issues. In 1976, with the addition of Peer Counseling, a part-time staff position was created to coordinate that program. In 1980 the Womencenter moved to its final location at the Orchard Ridge Campus.
Dr. Jacqueline Shadko, former Vice Chancellor of Student Services and Orchard Ridge Campus President, remembers the OCC Womencenter as a place that “fostered self-awareness and individual and collective empowerment for those who sought its services.” Members of the OCC community “would take me aside to tell me the all-too-familiar story of how OCC’s Womencenter had changed the direction of their life or the life of a loved one.”
Although the Womencenter was located on the Orchard Ridge Campus it served all OCC Campus locations and the surrounding community. The Womencenter and its coordinator Arlene Frank sponsored many popular workshops and events including: The Girls Matter Conference, the Women’s Art Show, Women at Work: Magic Summer Camp, and the Women’s Conference: “A Call to Wholeness”. Dr. Shadko recounts one of the Womencenter’s final activities, "In 2015, the Womencenter cosponsored an event for women veterans—one of the earliest before their issues finally garnered national attention. The speakers were largely women vets, and local, county, state, and federal groups provided information about services and employment opportunities."
“On behalf of the communities you helped empower, we thank the Womencenter most kindly and happily share its archives here for the betterment of all. There is still so much more to learn and to do. These archives should provide us with some good guideposts from the past…for our future.”
- Jacqueline Shadko, Ph.D., 2023
More information about the OCC Womencenter and Dr. Shadko’s full reflections can be found in the OCC Womencenter Records
References
Berkeley, K. C. (1999). The Women’s Liberation Movement in America.
Clark-Taylor, A., Creamer, E., LeSavoy, B., and Cerulli, C. (2021). Feminist Attitudes, Behaviors, and Culture Shaping Women’s Center Practice. The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, 4, 110-131. https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/sfd/vol4/iss1/9
Cobble, D. S., Gordon, L., Henry, A. (2014). Feminism Unfinished: A Short, Surprising History of American Women’s Movements. Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Mawson, C. D. (1979). Women’s Centers: A Critical Appraisal and A Case Study. Personnel & Guidance Journal, 58(1), 61-65. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-4918.1979.tb00341.x
Morris, B. J., Withers, D-M (with Gay, R.) (2018). The Feminist Revolution: The Struggle for Women’s Liberation. Elephant Publishing Company Limited.
“…to unify the Black students, to present the Black point of view to the student body at large, and to promote programs and policies fitting the needs of the Black students…throughout the College.”
-1969 OCC Student Handbook, Association of Black Students
This statement of purpose is from the Oakland Community College Association of Black Students (ABS) in 1969. The ABS was a student-led organization with the assistance of Faculty Advisors that formed across OCC’s Campuses. Part of the Black Power and Black Student Movement sweeping the nation in the late 1960s, the OCC ABS chapters rapidly sprung up following the establishment of the National Association of Black Students in August 1969 (Benson, 2017).
Membership was open to any person indicating concern and willingness to work towards the advancement and representation of the Black students. Not wasting any time, the OCC ABS championed the observance of what was then called “Afro-History Week.” Initially events were hosted on Campus, but the ABS soon expanded their aim to include the community in 1972.
The program for 1973 was held at the Whitmer Human Resource Center in Pontiac and featured a series of lectures, workshops, exhibits, poetry, music, song, and dance. The Michigan Chronicle praised the event as “probably the finest series of programs in observation of Afro History Week held in the metropolitan area.”
Locally as well as internationally known speakers highlighted the event, such as: Jon Onyé Lockhard, Civil Rights Leader Hosea Williams, and Arthur Fletcher- Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund, New York. George Norman’s “Black Odessy” exhibit using pictures, sculpture and words to tell the stories of African Americans was on display throughout the week and each day ended with the arts. Black Theater by the Wayne State Players, African folk dance by the Ashanti Drummers and Dancers, Gospel music sung by the Baptist, Methodist, and Church of God Gospel Community Choir, Kasuka Mafia and the Success Orkestra, and the Detroit Post Office Male Chorus were all performers.
Our Association of Black Students was a catalyst in precipitating diversity and advocacy at OCC. They were a voice for our Black community through a time of great social change and their determination and dedication to the celebration of Black history and achievements blossomed here at OCC 17 years before National Black History Month was codified by Congress.
Do you have materials on the ABS? We would love to grow this collection on this important part of OCC history. Please send an email to archivesocc@oaklandcc.edu or call 248-232-4470 to speak with our College Archivist.
More information on OCC's Association of Black Students can be found in our Historic Materials Collection.
References
Benson, R. D. (2017). Black Student-Worker Revolution and Reparations: The National Association of Black
Students, 1969-1972. Phylon (1960-), 54(1), 57-78. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90011264
Black, B. (1973 March 22). Outstanding Afro History Program At Oakland CC. The Michigan Chronicle.
OCC Welcome Week- Caption This Photo Contest!
Winning Caption: "'Bones,' Do you know who our victim is?"
-OCC Student, Amy Mackie
Runners-Up:
"When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"
-OCC Student, Cristina Delgado
"Don't look at me like that, I already have a girlfriend"
-OCC Student, Ilias Nakib
"Future CSI!"
-OCC Student, Jackson Chambers
"Nice Skull"
-OCC Student, Keith Gardner
"To be, or not to be"
-OCC Students, Defiance Girard and Everett White
This article was written in 2021 by OCC Student Hannah Hering during her practicum for the Library Services and Technology program.
Students and visitors of the Highland Lakes campus have probably come across Elmer. Elmer, also known as the Groleau-White Lake Mastodon, is an adult male mastodon that lived over 10,000 years ago. He was discovered in White Lake Township by a construction crew on M-59 between Elizabeth Lake and Williams Lake roads in 1968 and was unveiled on display at the OCC Highland Lakes Campus in 1982.
American Mastodons, or Mammut americanum, are prehistoric elephants and are one of the more well-known animals of the Ice Age, they are related to mammoths and today’s elephants. It is believed that ancestors of the American Mastodon came to North America from Siberia by the Alaskan-Siberian land bridge about ten million years ago. Mastodons lived almost everywhere in North America until they went extinct about 8,000 years ago.
Only one-third of Elmer’s bones were found during excavation including his head, tail, and left side, which were reconstructed. The reconstruction began in September 1981 by an OCC college class and it took ten months to finish. Elmer was officially completed in June of 1982. Some of the bones on Elmer are real, while others are either casts of plaster or fiberglass or part bone and part cast. Elmer’s feet are actually casts of the feet of the Warren Mastodon, located in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, since no foot bones were ever found.
"Elmer is the second mastodon skeleton to be discovered and displayed in Michigan..."
Elmer received his nickname from the brand of glue which was applied to prevent the bones from drying and cracking. The mastodon's proper name was chosen by a vote from the students and comes from the location where he was found, White Lake Township, and the name of the construction company that originally found him, the Groleau Brothers Inc., who also donated him to the college.
During the casting of his missing bones at the Natural History and Science Museum in Blairstown, New Jersey, he was first given the name “Titanic” before the name Elmer stuck.
Elmer is the second mastodon skeleton to be discovered and displayed in Michigan, and his story was featured in the 1983 National Geographic book Giants of the Past by Joseph H. Bailey. He is estimated to have weighed about 5.5 tons while he was alive. As skeletons make up about 16% of the animal’s weight, the OCC class was able to use the weight of Elmer’s skeleton at 885 pounds, to calculate what he might have weighed while living.
If you ever find yourself at the Highland Lakes campus, do come see Elmer in Levinson Hall where he is on display under a skylight and in front of a beautiful painting of what Oakland County may have looked like during his time.
More information on Elmer can be found in the OCC Archives Mastodon Records.