In honor of its 45th anniversary and Deaf Awareness Week (September 22-28), Howard College will host a special dedication ceremony on Monday, September 22, to celebrate the establishment of the SouthWest College for the Deaf (SWCD). The event, announced by Dean of Student Services Shannon Creswell, will rename the pedestrian plaza in the center of campus as the Nexus Plaza.
The ceremony will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will dedicate the new plaza to all those involved in the founding of SWCD. Plaques have been placed at twelve trees in the plaza to honor the individuals and organizations who played a pivotal role in the school’s creation. A large plaque and sculptural element, designed and created by SWCD faculty member Tim Stewart and SWCD students Trent Travis and Donavon Trujillo, has also been installed at the entrance.
Jeff D. Anderson, SWCD Provost, shared, “The Nexus Plaza represents the intersection of vision, community, and resilience that gave birth to SWCD. This dedication is not only about honoring the past, it’s about celebrating the legacy of hope and opportunity that continues to guide us into the future.”
The SouthWest College for the Deaf was established by the Howard County Junior College District Board of Trustees on November 6, 1979. The college began offering its first classes the following year, and in 1981, the Governor of Texas signed legislation that formally established SWCD as a state-supported institution within the district.
The dedication will honor a diverse group of visionaries, leaders, and community members who made SWCD a reality.
Honorees include:
Texas Education Agency: Commissioners M. A. Brockette and Alton Bowen, Associate Commissioner Dr. Ben Teague, Regional Superintendent (West-Panhandle Region) Dr. Doug Burke, Director of Deaf Services Gary Curtis.
Ector County ISD: Keith Dial and Floy Hinson
Parents: Fred and Mickey Maddux, Mary Dunn, Ruben Schaeffer, and Opal and Eugene Piercy
The Dreamers: Doug and Beatrice Burke
Deaf Leaders: Perry and Sara Demere, Larry Evans, Wilma Evans, Jerry and Dovie Hassell, Patti Moore, David Myers, and Juanita Tarbet
1979 Big Spring City Council: With Appreciation to City Manager Harry Nagel
1979 Big Spring Industrial Park Steering Committee: With Appreciation to Colonel Harry Spannaus, Manager of the Steering Committee and Final Wing Commander, Webb Air Force Base
Legislators: U.S. Congressman Charles Stenholm, Texas Senator Ray Farabee, and Texas Representatives Mike Ezzell and Larry Don Shaw
Howard College: Dr. Charles Hays, Dr. Bobby Wright, Dr. Mary Dudley, and Carla Warrington
Feasibility Study Advisory Committee and Involved Parties: Texas Regional Day School Superintendents, Texas Association of the Deaf, National Association of the Deaf, Texas Commission for the Deaf, Texas School for the Deaf, Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Texas College and University System Coordinating Board, Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Gallaudet University Office of Demographic Studies
1979 Howard College Board of Trustees: Don McKinney, Jimmy Taylor, Harold Davis, Dr. Charles Warren, K.H. McGibbon, Dr. P.W. Malone, James Barr
Inaugural Class of SWCID Rattler Graduates, 1982: Randy Baker, Cliff Bodiford, Sherrie Daniels, Jennifer Jeffers-Grant
In addition to the Nexus Plaza dedication, other commemorative plaques will be unveiled around the campus to honor the individuals involved in different phases of the college’s development.
A plaque will be placed in the SWCD Administrative Building lobby to recognize the first SWCID Division Directors. Terry Dobson, Larry Evans, Sam Hill, Bern Jones, and F. Rory.
A plaque in the Maddux Student Center Visionaries Auditorium will honor the first SWCID Advisory Committee from 1982.
Several areas of interest will also be unveiled that day to honor distinguished members of the SWCD story.
The SWCD campus is located at 3200 Ave. C in Big Spring. For more information, please call 432-267-1871.