(CENTREVILLE) – Monday marked a special day in the history of Glen Oaks Community College.

February 4 marked the 50th anniversary of when the Centreville campus opened. The school actually operated in White Pigeon until the building just south of Centreville could be constructed.

A number of faculty, staff and students who were on the campus 50 years ago returned to Centreville to share their stories from the early beginnings in the new building.

Norm Haas, the first chairman of the Glen Oaks Board of Trustees, and the only surviving member left from that Board, was in attendance. He shared with the audience the enthusiasm of the students and faculty during that time.

Dick Schlimgen, a counselor for Glen Oaks, shared how the library for the school operated out of boxes on the concourse.

Barb Gray, wife of late music professor Robert Gray, presented the school with an original handwritten manuscript of the Glen Oaks Alma Mater, which her husband composed in 1972.

Glen Oaks Alumni Terry Conklin and Chuck Frisbie both gave a heartfelt thanks to those in attendance who had the foresight to see through the creation of a community college in St. Joseph County. They also noted the impact the college has had on changing the lives of students.