We missed a little bit on side A, so again, why don’t you give me an idea about retaking the State Board Exam.

Jenson: Alright. The students who have flunked the State Board Examination have an opportunity to take it two more times including which would make three times all together. After they have flunked it for three times then they have to take the entire course over again.

Interviewer: Do they take the same exam?

Jenson: No.

Interviewer: Or are there different exams?

Jenson: I think there are about three different exams given during the course of the year at different intervals depending on when the class has completed their instruction, and if they take it over again, they’re not given the same examination. Then they revise the examinations periodically. Last year there was a leak in security and so the class before this last class that graduated, they didn’t get to take their exam at the time it was scheduled because they had to revise the examinations. So they had to wait the time they graduated until the end of July to take their examination which was quite the delay. When they should’ve taken it, I think it was around the first of April.

Interviewer: You mean someone spirited the exam off to…

Jenson: And yes this happened for the LVN State Board and the RN I understand.

Interviewer: Oh my.

Jenson: There was a security leak they said and so the examination was delayed; and of course that means a difference in salary too for the students that graduate; approximately $100 a month after they get their license.

Interviewer: Are you a strong supporter of this procedure of the State Boards or is that a fair question?

Jenson: Well, I guess they have to have some kind of a measure. There are some people who do not take examinations well; they become panicky. I, myself, don’t care for examinations, and they have the tendency to forget; even though, they know the material. When it comes to the exam, they become panicky or nervous and are not able to take the exam successfully.

Interviewer: Let’s look at a successful graduate. Where do we place most of our graduates?

Jenson: I would say that most of them are working in the local hospitals. However, in the last class that just graduated, we have quite a few students that are going on to be an RN. We have two that are registered at Santa Rosa College presently, and they have been taking summer courses and will enter the RN program in the fall to complete their RN. And then we have…let’s see…I think there were some others too that are already enrolled in the RN program. We have several out of this class who will be going on to get their RN.

Interviewer: Is this the customary way to start with the LVN and then go on to…

Jenson: No, not really. However, by doing it this way they receive more clinical experience because if they start as an RN, registered in the RN program, the hours of clinical experience is quite a bit less. So actually for someone who wants to work in the hospital with the patients, they receive more clinical experience doing it this way.

Interviewer: Do we have an active follow-up procedure to determine of the success of our LVN program at Columbia Junior College?

Jenson: Yes we do. One was just completed, and we have that…

Interviewer: You want to reveal any information or…?

Jenson: Well I have…

Interviewer: We have many successful things to talk about of them, and I know that the LVN program certainly has to be high on the list. (___)

Jenson: This is true. We have two students in previous classes who are now working as RNs, and we have one LVN who went down to the Los Angeles area and she is working as a specialist, a phlebotomist, who does nothing but draws blood.

Interviewer: A phlebotomist.

Jenson: Phlebotomist.

Interviewer: Wow, you want to make sure you say that the right way.

Jenson: Draws blood for laboratory studies.

Interviewer: Geez.

Jenson: And, let’s see now…we had one that went back to Michigan I believe it was…Midwest somewhere, and is working in the hospital, one of the large hospitals back there. And just off hand I can’t remember. There are quite a few of them working in the hospitals here in all three hospitals.

Interviewer: Well I think it’s really a credit to you, Thelma, and to many of the others who have been involved in the LVN program because it’s pretty obvious that it’s one of our successful programs at Columbia Junior College. Thank you very much for telling us all about it.

Jenson: You’re welcome.

END OF INTERVIEW

General Information:

Interviewer: ?

Interviewee: Thelma Jenson

Name of Tape: History of Columbia College

When: ?

Transcriber: Dee-Ann Horn

Transcribed: 07/11/2017

New interview 4:50.5 minutes

Jean Peterson, Dusty Rhodes’ secretary and certainly Dusty’s right hand arm in this, capable and one of the most personable individuals in our staff.

Interviewer: Jean, it’s nice to have you sit out here with us along the lake and talk with the good people who will be listening to this in the future. Now before you were hired, Jean, why don’t you tell us what you were doing? Did you live in Tuolumne County?

Jean: I did live in Tuolumne County. At the time I was working for attorneys here. The law firm of Harden and Gorgas and I had been watching the different development and information that was in the newspapers regarding the junior college with a real interest in the junior college mainly more than what job offerings that were available.

Interviewer: Had you ever worked in a public school before?

Jean: Yes. I lived in Riverside and I did work at the University of California in Riverside, and so I was familiar with schools. That was, of course, at a university situation.

Interviewer: A little different than our little school.

Jean: Right…but…

Interviewer: Dusty tells us that you were the first person hired; number one on the seniority list.

Jean: That’s right.

Interviewer: What was the occasion? Do you remember?

Jean: Yes I recall it very vividly. As I said, I had watched with interest the development of the college and kept debating in whether to put my application in or not, and so one opportunity I had to talk to Dr. Rhodes. We had invited him to the Sonora High School PTA meeting. At the time, I was secretary of the PTA and so he gave us a rundown about the college and the plans for the college and after the meeting that night, while I talked with him and expressed an interest in the college and in a position at the college. And at that time, I said I would send him my papers and background work experience, and then shortly thereafter, I attended a Yosemite Junior College board meeting that was held at Sonora High School library. This was before I sent my papers in. And it was at that board meeting which was April 18^th, 1967 that the philosophy and guiding principles of this junior college was developed and approved by the board of trustees.

Interviewer: April of 1967…

Jean: Right.

Interviewer: Long before there was even building one.

Jean: Right. Happened to be my birthday to boots and you knew that board meeting was pretty important for me to go on my birthday, but then the very next day, why, I did sent an application in, expressed an interest to Dr. Rhodes and applying for position at the college, and so he no more than got my letter, he called me up at where I was working at the law office and asked if I would be interested in having an interview. And so we set up a time in Don Brady’s office and…

Interviewer: At the pharmacy?

Jean: At the pharmacy.

Interviewer: Is that right?

Jean: It was on one of Dr. Rhodes’ trips to Tuolumne County and so we discussed the college and that’s when a decision was made that I would go to work for the junior college.

Interviewer: The people who have been hired have indicated that the interview, itself, is almost unique at Columbia Junior College. Did you sense that you were going through a different type of interview when you talked with Dr. Rhodes?

Jean: Yes I believe it definitely was…Dr. Rhodes is very interested first and what type of a person their individual characteristics, their…just what type of an individual personality and whether they have concern for other people, concern for students, this probably takes a very high priority, and so we discussed me as an individual and what my plans were as far as working plans and at that time, I did have one of Steve was ready to start college at the end of that year and I had another…my daughter, Cindy, would hopefully going to college…so at that time I planned on working until they got through college and so I’ve accomplished that.

Interviewer: Plus a few extra years.

Jean: Right, but it is a different type of an interview, and of course at that time, it was an interview with him alone where, of course, we do have, you know, with faculty particularly have six and eight people sit in on an interview. That time he was the only one that was appointed and I was the next one that was appointed so there was no one else.

Interviewer: Well he was still at Modesto at the time, wasn’t he?

Jean: Right, he was Vice President there at the Adult Education Program, and they had had Adult Education Programs in Tuolumne County for several years which he was responsible for.

Interviewer: Jean what did you do think of your first office down on Washington Street?

Jean: It really was something. I have a lot of happy memories from there but it was quite an experience. It…I’m sure you know that it was this older building. It’s now Paxton’s Bookstore and it just really wasn’t a typical office building.

Interviewer: No it wasn’t. Hardly.

Jean: I think you can remember that from your interview there.

Interviewer: Yes.

Jean: But the very first day we opened the office which was May 15, 1967. Why…the KVML they came to interview me. I was the only one there at the moment. Of course, my first day at work and really…

Interviewer: Interview…

Jean: Probably not know what was expected of me, but we’d start out with one, you know, one desk here and then Dr. Rhodes had a desk and then we’d bring in a desk for Mr. Hoskins and then we’d bring in a desk for Mr. Deal and then bring in a desk for Shirley Appling. You know, we just keep making enough room and we had a little back room that we had our mimeograph machine in and shelves for supplies and Dr. Rhodes’ desk was right next to the copy machine and we had a noisy copy machine. And he actually got attached, I think, to that copy machine, but it was kind of each knew clerical help that was brought in why they had always take over the, you know, coffee duties and all these little duties that right at first, I swept the office and I washed the restroom and….

Interviewer: My you had some extraordinary duties then.

Jean: It has a lot of happy memories and on the other hand, it was a very busy, busy time when lots of plans were going on, lots of excitement, and it really is a remarkable thing to be in on the ground floor of starting a new junior college.

Interviewer: I think so. I wasn’t involved quite that early, but I do remember being there, and I do remember how congested it seemed. Once could get claustrophobia in there and it seemed like there was remarkable production that came out from that very small building; the plans and the philosophy that was put into practice, just unbelievable, well it started that way. I guess we all have a beginning and ours certainly has (__).

Jean: Right.

Interviewer: Less than pretentious. Regarding your job, Jean, what did you spend most of your time doing while you were down Washington Street?

Jean: Well in the very beginning, we had Dr. Rhodes, of course, appointed and then I was appointed and then Mr. Haskins, Mr. Deal, so as far as the clerical responsibilities there was tremendous amount of correspondence that had to go out. It was amazing how many people even in the very early stages had heard of the planning for this new junior college and just from the year or two that we side acquisition the override tax was being approval…being given by that, so we had many applications for instructors that we needed to respond to and Mr. Haskins was one that didn’t like a form letter. They were all originals. This was…there was a lot of correspondence, and then, course, as we got into the building plans for the college, why, there was a lot of planning on furniture needs; whether, you know, after the spaces were allocated in the learning resources building. We’d take an office space…I’d take an office space and decide how many desks should go in that office space. Whether they should be right hand typewriter wells or left hand typewriter wells and…

Interviewer: Did you have to do a lot of that to determine the furniture…to determine, let’s say, carpeting, drapes, colors, materials…

Jean: Yes I did quite a bit of that mainly with the office furniture. I didn’t have…work with the instructional equipment. Office furniture, oh, the tables and the chairs for the, you know, the seminar building, the color schemes for these, you know, what color chairs to go, decide the file cabinets for the various offices.

Interviewer: How did they arrive at the shape of the desk that we have in most of our offices?

Jean: In the faculty offices?

Interviewer: In the faculty offices.

Jean: This was developed by with the architect and, let’s see, I believe, Correctional Industries come up with the design.

Interviewer: Because it’s unique. I’ve never seen a desk designed that way, so as the student walks in, there’s a place at the desk to sit.

Jean: Just like that, along with a lot of the other planning, there was much, much planning that went in to each area, but I did work a lot with equipment desks, carpet. I still chuckle Dr. Rhodes, course, loves red and he was always going to have a red carpet and I think everyone tried to talk him out of it, but…

Interviewer: If I recall, it’s red.

Jean: It’s red. Course I love red, so it was fine with me, but we almost had turquoise throughout the other part of the building. In fact we almost had even the window frames, almost, were a turquoise, a blue/green because they were to blend with the carpet.

Interviewer: I see wow…

Jean: But word got around and we ended up with green carpet and the…that wasn’t my selection by the way.

Interviewer: That wasn’t your selection? I’m not going to comment one way or another. Well there must’ve been frustrating moments too, though, when you think back.

Jean: Yes.

Interviewer: What do you think your major frustrations were during the formity of stages?

Jean: The major frustration, course, been that there has never been enough hours in the day to get the work that needed to be done.

Interviewer: Is that because of what is expected of you, or as a person, rather than having additional staff to assist?

Jean: Well, at that time, ‘course, we…it was hard to get additional positions…clerical positions right away because we did open the office in May of ’67 and then ‘course that school while we continued to have adult education classes in Tuolumne County, so really the college, itself, didn’t start until the next September at Eagle Cottage.

Interviewer: Being the September of 1968.

Jean: I think it’s just there’s a lot of thing when you’re starting to plan a new junior college that needs to be done and just to feel your responsibility and feel that you are caring through of what’s expected of you just takes…took a little bit more time.

Interviewer: What would you say were the most rewarding aspects of your work at the time? When you think back?

Jean: Well, ‘course, the most rewarding and I didn’t see it at that time, but I’m looking out at it at the moment is when you see this beautiful college and, you know, know how it has developed and how our faculty are here to help the students in our classified help are here to serve the students is of course the main reward.

Interviewer: Do you feel that there is a little bit of you as you look around here at the lake, the buildings, see the people here?

Jean: Definitely.

Interviewer: You should be.

Jean: I feel that our staff, hopefully, I have a real feeling of approval and satisfaction. Classified staff, people that this is the one area your staff is so important and you hope that each time that you are instrumental in hiring someone that they’re going to be just the very best and so this is satisfaction when you…

Interviewer: Well you have been directly involved in the hiring of the classified staff.

Jean: Yes I have been much more so in the very beginning than, of course, now because now we do have supervisors of each area. At that point, it was Dr. Rhodes pretty much took my recommendation on the hiring of the different clerical positions that were established.

Interviewer: Since a few left, I think in itself is a testimonial whatever is happening selecting these people where as a happy marriage between the institution and the person. Very few seem to have left us the years that I’ve been here.

Jean: I think basically we have a real good classified staff. Along with tremendous faculty and I think they do have a real commitment to the college, to the students.

Interviewer: The long hours that people put in.

Jean: Oh well, if there’s a job to be done, why, I think most people are willing to do whatever’s needed to get it done.

Interviewer: Dr. Rhodes has to be certainly a remarkable person as well as a capable administrator, and as you reminisce with me, can you think of memorable occasions during the formative years that showed us the as a remarkable person, capable administrator.

Jean: Dr. Rhodes has very strong feelings for people. He is there to help just anyone that needs a helping hand and it has always been amazing to me how he can continually has students that maybe 60 years old now, but they drop into tell him had it not been for him several years ago, they would’ve never had continued on with their education, and so he is a very warm, understanding man. On the other hand, he is Italian background and sometimes has a tendency to say what he thinks and…

Interviewer: I know in interviews, more than once, this has caught a person by surprise. He’s a very honest person.

Jean: Right. He says exactly what he thinks, how he feels, but he’s always there to give anyone a helping hand. One interesting experience I know, when we…oh was considering the FREEKO program.

Interviewer: These were the young juveniles who’ve been institutionalized in Calaveras County for minor offenses, I suppose.

Jean: Right. At the time, I, you know, I…he has not really taught me but he does expect me to state my opinion, and for me to feel free to make comments so that we could react on programs and…but at that time, I did have a questioning thought…I just wasn’t sure but sure enough it turned out very well and it turned out very well and we had a very successful program and to this day we have students that were FREEKO students that come back and express their deep appreciation to Dr. Rhodes for what had done for them.

Interviewer: It was a remarkable program; highly successful I think. Does our president have any special quirks type of thing that you would mention that would not be offensive, interesting quirks or characteristics?

Jean: I think, basically, he…not really a quirk, I mean I think the characteristic that I mentioned that of saying what he thinks and…no I really don’t think he has any big quirks…he…

Interviewer: He’s well-adjusted Italian administrator?

Jean: He’s very interested in getting the best people that he can for whatever area of responsibility and then he hopes that they will carry through and ….