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BTC History
The first “Industrial School” in Bellingham opened in 1912 in a building on Irving Street right behind the present-day Whatcom Middle School. In 1917, vocational classes in auto mechanics and machine shop were offered at Whatcom High School in response to passage of the Smith-Hughes Act (legislation that prompted funding of vocational schools) by Congress. Later, machine shop classes were offered at Fairhaven High School and during the World War II era, more than 4,000 persons were enrolled in industrial classes.
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The early days of the Auto Technology program featuring Ray Smith, Director of the College and 2 Students
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The idea of building a stand alone vocational school in Bellingham eventually took root amidst the economic prosperity of the post-war years. In 1947, officials proposed that the school be built on Ellis Street behind Bellingham High School.
Plans were actually drawn but never brought to fruition. By 1953, it was clear that the number of students enrolled in vocational programs was not sufficient to meet workforce needs.
For two years, the Board of Directors of the Bellingham School District considered and discarded many school sites. Finally, in 1955, the Board selected BTC’s current site (click here to see companion story) and then spent a year working with architects and engineers on construction of the first building. On September 4th, 1957, what was then known as Bellingham Technical School opened its doors.
Much has changed since those early years but BTC’s commitment to academic excellence and first-rate technical training has remained constant. Our instructors not only educate but inspire, coach and foster self-confidence. Students leave this institution with the skills they need to excel in the workplace and sometimes return to the College in an advisory or teaching capacity.
Big Picture Timeline In BTC’s Early Years
1955 – AFL & CIO merge; McDonald’s Corporation founded; Rosa Parks refuses to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, AL.
1957 – Soviet Union launches Sputnik satellite and Space Age begins.
1961 – Construction of the Berlin Wall begins. The Peace Corps is created.
1963 – President John F. Kennedy assassinated; Martin Luther King, Jr. gives “I have a Dream” speech.
1965 – Medicare established under Social Security.
1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated.
1969 – Neil Armstrong becomes first human to walk on the moon; ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet is created; Woodstock music festival.
1970 – Kent State University student protests.
1972 – Watergate scandal begins; pocket calculator introduced.
1975 – Microsoft founded; last U.S. troops leave South Vietnam.
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