WVC kicks off 75th anniversary with community celebration Oct. 11

Media Contact: Jennifer Korfiatis, 75th anniversary coordinator, or, Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509.682.6436 (Mon.-Thurs.)

Wenatchee Valley College will kick off its 75th anniversary with a community celebration on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. on the Wenatchee campus. Events will take place around the fountain at the center of campus. This event is free and open to the public.

The celebration will include keynote addresses by Senator Linda Evans Parlette and past WVC President Bob Parlette, with a welcome by WVC President Jim Richardson. Richardson will also present the WVC Distinguished Alumni award.

Events will include music by the Wenatchee Big Band, a picnic-style barbecue, activities for kids and families, and guided campus tours with demonstrations. Listening Posts will be available at designated locations on campus.

Merchandise for the 75th anniversary will be available in the WVC Bookstore.

A student senate member reunion, coordinated by the WVC Alumni Association, current WVC Student Programs Director Donte Quinine and retired director Carole Keane, will take place immediately following the main event. Former student senate members who would like more information about the reunion should contact Donte Quinine at 509.682.6865 or alumni relations coordinator Kacie Thrift at 509.682.6413.

Additionally, there will be a reunion/social for WVC graduates from the 1940s and 1950s at Wells House from 4 to 6 p.m. The event is hosted by the WVC Foundation. For more information, contact the Foundation at 509.682.6410.

Anniversary events will continue throughout the 2014-15 academic year. Those scheduled for October include a THIRTYFINGERS musical extravaganza on Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Music and Art Center and the annual WVC athletic auction on Saturday, Oct. 18. The Ellensburg Piano Trio will perform on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. in The Grove Recital Hall, Music and Art Center. The trio features cellist Kara Hunnicutt, violinist Denise Dillenbeck and pianist Nikolas Caoile. For additional events and information, visit the WVC 75th Anniversary website, www.wvc.edu/75.

WVC opened as a private institution in 1939 with financial support from 51 local citizens. The college became part of the state's public education system two years later. Classes were held in Wenatchee High School until the donation of the A.Z. Wells home in 1949. The WVC district now includes all of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. The Omak campus was established in the mid-1970s.

# # #

Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website at www.wvc.edu.