Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mayo Campus Of BSCTC Celebrated 70th Birthday
The Mayo Campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) celebrates 70 years of continuous service to the Big Sandy area this year. Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler signed the legislation instituting the Mayo Vocational School on April 14, 1938 and on July 26, 1938, Kentucky's Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson officially accepted the deed to the old Mayo Estate property from owner E. J. Evans. More than 10,000 were on hand to witness the ceremony which marked the beginning of post-secondary educational opportunities for citizens of eastern Kentucky that had previously been available only to those who could afford to travel to universities and colleges many miles remote from their homes.
Over the years, Mayo grew and adapted to meet the needs of a changing society. As the citizens of the Big Sandy region lived through the war years, Mayo responded to their needs with training that equipped workers to be employed in plants and factories that supplied war-time needs. After the war, the school again reorganized to meet the needs of soldiers returning from war to a different community and workplace than they had left. Many of them wounded and changed required re-training to become employable in a world that had modernized while they were at war. Women also found more opportunities at Mayo as they moved out of the roles of housewives and into the world of business and industry. Times had changed and Mayo Vocational School changed with it.
As the years passed, each generation brought their own needs and Mayo Vocational School became Mayo Vocational Technical Institute and then Mayo Technical College as it responded to students’ needs. Five Area Centers were added in the five counties served by the school to provide two years of vocational training to students while still in high school.
Mayo Technical College united with Prestonsburg Community College in 2003 to form the Big Sandy Community and Technical College, one of 16 colleges that makes up the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. BSCTC has grown since then to over 5,000 students enrolled per semester. A recent graduation celebrated the commencement of 266 students who earned a total of 709 credentials. These graduates will enroll at a 4-year college or university to pursue a Baccalaureate degree or enter the workforce after graduation as trained professionals, ready to take their place in business and industry. Statistics show that college graduates are better equipped and qualified to earn a living wage for themselves and their families. They also improve the standard of work for the employer they work for. They contribute to the community and evidence shows that the role model they become for their children and those around them has a lasting effect on the community as a whole.
Recently BSCTC planted maple trees on the Mayo Campus. One tree was planted for each of the directors that led the Mayo Vocational School and Mayo Technical College. A. L. Pigman was the first Mayo Director. Bobby McCool was the last. McCool was Mayo Director at the time of the consolidation into Big Sandy Community and Technical College. The school had a total of eight directors: A. L. Pigman, J. Milburn Taylor, C. W. Mathis, James Patton, George L. Ramey, Jess Conley, Gary Coleman and Bobby McCool. Each maple tree planted for this commemoration bears a brass plaque with the name and dates of service of a director.
The Mayo Campus has grown from a little vocational school to become part of a large, nationally recognized vocational and technical college system. They have stood the test of time, changed to meet the needs of the community and the world around them, and remains part of a student centered institution. When A. L. Pigman opened the doors in 1938 to the first 100 students, little did he know that in 70 years time, Mayo would become a part of the history of the majority of the families in the Big Sandy Region. It’s difficult to find a family that has not had a parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, or sibling to attend Mayo. Like the pebble in the pond, Mayo has made ripples that will keep on affecting lives for years to come.
Over the years, Mayo grew and adapted to meet the needs of a changing society. As the citizens of the Big Sandy region lived through the war years, Mayo responded to their needs with training that equipped workers to be employed in plants and factories that supplied war-time needs. After the war, the school again reorganized to meet the needs of soldiers returning from war to a different community and workplace than they had left. Many of them wounded and changed required re-training to become employable in a world that had modernized while they were at war. Women also found more opportunities at Mayo as they moved out of the roles of housewives and into the world of business and industry. Times had changed and Mayo Vocational School changed with it.
As the years passed, each generation brought their own needs and Mayo Vocational School became Mayo Vocational Technical Institute and then Mayo Technical College as it responded to students’ needs. Five Area Centers were added in the five counties served by the school to provide two years of vocational training to students while still in high school.
Mayo Technical College united with Prestonsburg Community College in 2003 to form the Big Sandy Community and Technical College, one of 16 colleges that makes up the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. BSCTC has grown since then to over 5,000 students enrolled per semester. A recent graduation celebrated the commencement of 266 students who earned a total of 709 credentials. These graduates will enroll at a 4-year college or university to pursue a Baccalaureate degree or enter the workforce after graduation as trained professionals, ready to take their place in business and industry. Statistics show that college graduates are better equipped and qualified to earn a living wage for themselves and their families. They also improve the standard of work for the employer they work for. They contribute to the community and evidence shows that the role model they become for their children and those around them has a lasting effect on the community as a whole.
Recently BSCTC planted maple trees on the Mayo Campus. One tree was planted for each of the directors that led the Mayo Vocational School and Mayo Technical College. A. L. Pigman was the first Mayo Director. Bobby McCool was the last. McCool was Mayo Director at the time of the consolidation into Big Sandy Community and Technical College. The school had a total of eight directors: A. L. Pigman, J. Milburn Taylor, C. W. Mathis, James Patton, George L. Ramey, Jess Conley, Gary Coleman and Bobby McCool. Each maple tree planted for this commemoration bears a brass plaque with the name and dates of service of a director.
The Mayo Campus has grown from a little vocational school to become part of a large, nationally recognized vocational and technical college system. They have stood the test of time, changed to meet the needs of the community and the world around them, and remains part of a student centered institution. When A. L. Pigman opened the doors in 1938 to the first 100 students, little did he know that in 70 years time, Mayo would become a part of the history of the majority of the families in the Big Sandy Region. It’s difficult to find a family that has not had a parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, or sibling to attend Mayo. Like the pebble in the pond, Mayo has made ripples that will keep on affecting lives for years to come.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 10:40 AM 
