This year, Moraine Valley Community College turns 50! February 18th is Founders Day, which commemorates the day in 1967 when residents voted “Yes” to establish a Class 1 junior college district in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago.
So why Moraine Valley? What’s a moraine anyway? A moraine is a geological phenomenon which occurs with the accumulation of glacial debris. The name reflects the landscape in which the college is situated: the place where the Valparaiso and Tinley moraines meet to form a valley. According to a document from the initial planning and development of the college, “The existence of these moraines influenced the direction of flow of the Chicago River… This geological history provides an explanation and background for the natural and distinctly beautiful hills and valleys found in the Palos Hills area where the college will be located.”
The College opened its doors to 1,210 students on September 16th, 1968. Classes were held in leased warehouses on 115th in Alsip. For students who enrolled in classes for the 1968-69 academic year, tuition cost $6.50 per credit hour. Classes were held at the Palos Hills location that we know today the following year, but the first permanent structure, Building A, was not opened until 1972.
Check out the library’s collection for more local history:
- Palos Park, by Jeannine Kacmar, the Palos Park Public Library, and the Village of Palos Park
- Worth, by Colleen McElroy and the Worth Park District Historical Museum
- Alsip, by Patrick E. Kitching and Susan L. Bruesch
- Oak Lawn, by Kevin Korst
- Chicago Ridge, by Ed Maurer, Jr. and the Chicago Ridge Public Library
- Arabs of Chicagoland, by Ray Hanania
- Italians in Chicago, by Dominic Candeloro
- Route 66 in Chicago, by David G. Clark
For more information on the history of Moraine Valley Community College, visit the College Archives website at http://ext.morainevalley.edu/collegearchives/.