Back Roads Press

My local history column written for the San Bernardino Sun (part of the Southern California News Group) on January 27, 2016 is about the history of San Bernardino Valley College, which was established in 1926.

San Bernardino Valley College turns 100 this year

When I look back on how a shy 12-year-old kid who preferred daydreaming to academics and dreaded speaking in front of the class became a successful Special Ed. teacher as well as a writer and speaker on local history, I thank my teachers.

The help of the teachers was vital, especially during my years at San Bernardino Valley College, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

San Bernardino Valley College — the first of its kind in the state —wasn’t the first junior college in California. Fresno City College, established in 1907, holds that distinction.

Chaffee College, which was built even earlier, in 1883, also operated under the umbrella of local high school districts while also a college of agriculture affiliated with University of Southern California. It did not become a fully independent college separate from the high school district until 1957.

However, San Bernardino Valley College, or SBVC, was the first in the state of California to operate as a truly independent junior college district, separate from high schools.

On March 26, 1926, voters approved the formation of the San Bernardino Valley Union Junior College District.

Two months later, the board of trustees met at a site on the east side of Mt. Vernon Avenue, about equal distant between the downtown areas of San Bernardino and Colton. The board suggested about 30 acres in that area would provide the ideal location for the new college.

While the campus was still being developed, in fall 1926 the first classes were held at San Bernardino High School and Colton High School. The school started with 140 students and a faculty of 16.

George H. Jantzen, superintendent of the Colton District and principal of Colton High, was appointed dean of SBVC.

When the 1927-28 academic year got under way, the college’s administration building (then called the Classics Building) was completed. Classes took place amid construction, and by the end of the school year, the life science building, the gymnasium, and the library had also been completed.

In 1927-28 the faculty was made up of 11 men and six women. Nearly 300 students enrolled for the fall semester of 1927, with the freshmen outnumbering sophomores nearly 6 to 1.

Howard Jones, a hometown architect and designer of many buildings constructed in San Bernardino in the 1920s and ’30s, drew up the plans for the initial Spanish colonial revival-style campus buildings.

The college began to really take shape during the Great Depression when the Works Progress Administration funded the construction of other key structures, including the vocational building, an auditorium, and the Greek Theatre.

In 1954, the district launched KVCR-FM, which eventually became the first educational FM station in Southern California and remains a prominent NPR-PBS affiliate.
The post-war era saw significant growth, with enrollment reaching around 18,000 by 1975, fueled by the GI Bill and community demand.

My personal experience at San Bernardino Valley College, from 1972-1975, set the foundation and preparation for Cal State San Bernardino. I have fond memories of my time there.

I really enjoyed a “wild life and conservation” biology class taught by Bob Smith. My speech instructor, Harry Murray, proved that this shy kid could indeed speak in front of the class. My Spanish teachers, Anna Jarvis and future San Bernardino Mayor Judith Valles, were excellent. My favorite instructor was Dorothy gates, who taught Sociology.

I also had an interesting and enjoyable English class taught by John Coble. One of the students I really liked talking to was Julio Cruz, who went on to play Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox.

Social life at SBVC was great too.

I played handball and tennis for hours after classes. On Fridays I would socialize with friends in the Greek Theatre while kicking back and listening to rock concerts during my lunch break.

The campus hosted major figures over the years also, including Cesar Chavez in 1968 and 1972, Jane Fonda in 1973, and President Bill Clinton in 1995.

My friend, John Freitas, who attended SBVC during the mid 1990s, recently shared how his experience there helped prepare him for going on to the University of California, Riverside. He also recalled the evening he shook hands with President Clinton.

In the late 1990s, it was determined that many of the building were to be demolished and rebuilt — since the campus was built directly over the San Jacinto Fault Zone. Between 2001 and 2010, many original buildings were torn down and replaced with modern, seismically safe structures.

Located directly north of the SBVC campus is Middle College High School, an alternative high school designed as a joint project of the San Bernardino City Unified School District and San Bernardino Valley College.

Students who attend Middle College High School are concurrently enrolled at both the school and SBVC. They’re able to earn college credits while completing their high school diploma.

Each year, a number of MCHS graduating seniors also earn the Associates of Arts Degree from SBVC.

Famous figures from San Bernardino Valley College include actress/singer Susan Anton, songwriter and composer Jimmy Webb, former U.S. Congressman George Brown, Jr., California Assembly member Wilmer Carter, Major League Baseball player Rich Dauer and NFL General Manager John Butler.

A San Bernardino native, who became the first African-American teacher in San Bernardino, as well as the first Black administrator in the state of California, was Dorothy Inghram.

Music played an important role in her life. While attending San Bernardino Valley College, from 1928 through 1933, she wrote the hymn that was selected as the school’s alma mater. It’s still used today.

Judith Valles is also local graduate who devoted much of her life to the well being of San Bernardino Valley College.

She attended SBVC from 1952 to 1953 and was later appointed to the faculty in 1965. She taught Spanish until 1984, led the department of foreign languages from 1972 to 1976, was the administrative dean of academic affairs from 1983 to 1987; held the position of chief instructional officer at the college and was executive vice president of academic and student affairs from 1987 to 1988.

Valles eventually made history by becoming the first Latina mayor in the city of San Bernardino, as well as the first Latina mayor of any city in the United States with a population of more than 100,000.

San Bernardino Valley College is celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout the 2025-2026 academic year with “100 Events for 100 Years.” The college has a dedicated centennial website, a documentary, a podcast series, and commemorative merchandise.

Contact Nick Cataldo at [email protected] and read more of his local history articles at Back Roads Press.