CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Faculty, staff, students and supporters came together on Thursday to celebrate five decades of educational opportunities that have grown and blossomed at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College.

On the warm and sunny fall afternoon, there were reunions, food, music and memories of how the campus has helped shape and shift young people from challenging backgrounds into meaningful careers and lives that contribute to the larger community.

The campus began in 1972 as the Lake County Center of Yuba College, which offered classes at Konocti Harbor Inn in Kelseyville before moving to the Clearlake location in 1974, at which time the first buildings were constructed.

Today, the Lake County Campus sits on nearly 13 acres in Clearlake. In 2012, new bond-funded facilities were completed and dedicated, including the library; student services center; biology, chemistry and early childhood education classrooms; and Aromas Restaurant and its state-of-the-art kitchen and dining room.

The campus has gone through several name changes in the intervening years. In 1990, it was changed from the Lake County Center of Yuba College to the Lake County Campus. In 2000, it was renamed Clear Lake Community College.

In 2003, under the instruction of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, the Yuba Community College District removed the word “college” from the campus’s name and it was renamed “Clear Lake Campus.”

The final name change was in July 2016, when it became the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College as part of a district realignment.

While those changes have taken place, those celebrating the anniversary on Thursday said one thing remained constant — the dedication of the campus, its faculty and staff to giving students the best education possible as a means of offering them life-changing opportunities.

The city of Clearlake believes in the school enough that last year the City Council unanimously approved the Clearlake College Promise Program, an agreement between the city and Woodland Community College in which the city has committed $55,000 for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years “for the purpose of implementing a last dollar scholarship program.”

The Thursday afternoon celebration began with street tacos, a food truck and treats prepared by Chef Robert Cabreros, head of the campus’ culinary department, and his students.

The school’s culinary department began in 2000, and since then Cabreros has become well-known and respected for his innovative and quality curriculum and for the highly sought after graduates — or culinary artists — of his program.

There also was music by the group “Good Measure,” which includes several educators, among them, retired Konocti Unified Superintendent Dr. Bill MacDougall and Doug Harris, the newest Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees member who taught career-technical classes and university prep classes at the campus for 20 years.

One of the songs the group performed, “Comes A Time,” by Neil Young, says,

“Comes a time when you're driftin,'
“Comes a time when you settle down.”

Those lyrics captured a thread of some of the stories shared by those whom the campus has impacted. The education and experiences they had there introduced them to education in a supportive atmosphere, and gave them a chance to pursue higher education and break generational poverty patterns to settle down and live better lives.

Interim Campus Dean Dr. Annette Lee,EdD, was the master of ceremonies on Thursday.

In Lee’s own experience runs the current of opportunities that become possible with higher education. Appointed interim dean in July, she is herself a former campus student and now is a tenured member of the Business and Management faculty.

“Moments like this give you chills,” she said, looking over the audience of past and current students, faculty and staff, community leaders, visitors and friends, and noting that many of them were getting together for the first time in many years.

The campus has been a fixture in southeast Lake County for 50 years, Lee noted.

The ceremony included a land acknowledgment for the Pomo who had made their home on the land where the campus is, with nearby villages belonging to a group that called itself “the Water People.”

Chancellor Jim Houpis and members of the board of trustees also were on hand, as they held their monthly meeting at the campus later on Thursday evening.

Houpis, who himself grew up in a small, economically challenged community, said, “I’m fully committed to the campus,” and educational opportunities in Lake County.

Dr. Art Pimentel, the Woodland Community College president and former campus executive dean, said the college knows how important the campus is to the community.

He said the campus is dedicated to transforming lives, and acknowledged the work of the faculty.

Pimentel recalled his late friend Margaret Brown, a teacher at the campus for 25 years, who consistently advocated for giving the campus’ students the very best.

“We look forward to the next 50 years and beyond of serving the Lake County community,” Pimentel said.

A place that impacts people

Several other speakers shared their experiences at the campus.

They included Dr. Mark Cooper, a retired dentist and current member of the Lake County Board of Education, who after extensive academic coursework at the university level took classes at the college in welding and cooking while also teaching history sections with his late friend, Dr. Bill Cornelison.

Cooper honored teachers, and said not to forget to teach the trades. However, Cooper also emphasized the importance of liberal arts because of the necessity of teaching civic responsibility and how to be lifelong learners.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said the campus has been a big part of his life. He credited Pam Bordisso and Peggy Alexander for encouraging him to run for student body president. He later received a political science degree at the University of California, Davis.

“This place impacts people. This place changes people. And it’s been doing it for 50 years,” he said.

Dr. Harry Lyons, the campus’ now-retired and legendary biology professor who is well-known for his knowledge of and love for Clear Lake, sang a song he had written in praise of the college. Titled “Yuba,” it was performed to the tune of the Kinks song “Lola,” with the chorus a long “Yu-yu-yu-yu-yu-ba.”

Speakers also included Voris Brumfield, a former south county supervisor who taught theater at the college; alumna Zabdy Neria, now a member of the Konocti Unified School District Board; and Robert Reil, culinary teacher at Lower Lake High School, 2019 Konocti Unified School District Teacher of the Year and a former student of Cabreros.

Terri Gonsalves, now a Lake County Office of Education employee, had at one point been told she wasn’t college material before arriving at the campus, where she received encouragement and support from Harris and other teachers. She went on to graduate from the campus and receive a university degree with a near-perfect grade-point average.

Nick Walker, now the city of Lakeport’s assistant city manager and finance director, also shared his story.

Growing up in Kelseyville, raised by a single mother after his parents divorced, Walker said both of his parents struggled with substance abuse and he himself was kicked out of school and barely graduated.

At the Lake County Campus, Walker found the supportive atmosphere he needed to surmount his background. That experience led him to graduate from the college and prepared him to later receive his degree from Sonoma State University and become a Certified Public Accountant.

He said he’s constantly reminded of his gratitude for the opportunity he found there. “Please cherish your time here,” and go out and do more, Walker said.

Harris said the campus has endured despite many challenges over the years.

Looking ahead, he urged the community to nourish the continuing partnership with the campus.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.