The Collegiate Challenge, December 1, 1966
Wanamaker Library Dedication
The December 1, 1966 issue of The Collegiate Challenge announced to the campus community that the library for the new Tacoma Community College would be dedicated as the "Pearl Wanamaker Library and Instructional Resource Center." Quoted in the article, Tacoma School District No. 10 Board President Frank Gillihan recommended Wanamaker as the library's namesake "because her name has been the symbol of forward strides in Washington education since the beginning of World War II, placing this state's educational system as one of the most outstanding in our country" (page 1). Among Wanamaker's many achievements, this article cites her honorary doctoral degrees from Miami University, Columbia University, Smith College, and Mills College, the diplomas for which can be found in the Pearl Anderson Wanamaker collection in the TCC Archives.
The full series of dedication events planned were described in the December 1, 1966 issue of the Challenge as including a breakfast with Superintendent of Schools Angelo Giaudrone, school board members, and friends of the library; a formal ceremony with placement of the dedication plaque; a lunch hosted by the wives of faculty members; and a reception at Central School; as well as a banquet with the Tacoma Association of Public School Administrators on the eve of the dedication.
The Collegiate Challenge, December 16, 1966
The dedication ceremony for the Pearl A. Wanamaker Library and Instructional Resource Center took place on Wednesday, December 7, 1966 with events including the placement of the library cornerstone, a news conference with Challenge staff, and a luncheon.
The dedication was covered in the December 16 issue of The Collegiate Challenge, which described the events of the day. The cornerstone included a time capsule containing "three representative issues of The Collegiate Challenge, along with a College Catalog and a Student Handbook for the 1966-67 academic year" (page 1).
The press conference included discussion between Challenge staff, TCC administrators Dr. Thornton M. Ford and Dr. John N. Terrey, English instructor Monty B. Jones, and Wanamaker on a number of pressing issues for the Washington community colleges.
The dedication events also included a breakfast with Superintendent of Schools Angelo Giaudrone, school board members, friends of the library, and Wanamaker's guests, according to the December 1, 1966 issue of The Collegiate Challenge.
The Collegiate Challenge, October 27, 1967
In the October 27, 1967 issue of The Collegiate Challenge, writer Dennis Kaperick reported on the completion of four new buildings on the growing TCC campus, which included the Wanamaker Library. The article provides a brief description of plans for the library: "In addition to numerous volumes of books, the library will contain audiovisual materials, the language lab, two television studios, offices -- and even Dr. Magden's history class." (page 5).
Letter from Harold Snodgrass to Pearl Wanamaker, November 15, 1967
A representative from the school district was present to photograph the dedication. Nearly a year later, Tacoma Public Schools Director of Publications Harold R. Snodgrass belatedly sent copies of the photos to Wanamaker, citing a recent visit he'd made to the library and declaring it a "really wonderful building."