Western Nebraska Community College Alumni Newsletter
COUGAR OF A LIFETIME
In February 1960, Scottsbluff Junior College hired Alumna Coral Richards, to help with a temporary project transferring handwritten transcripts to microfilm. That temporary assignment turned into a 58- year career at Western Nebraska Community College.
Coral’ s duties evolved and changed during her tenure at WNCC. During the mid-60s, she remembers a time where she was a one-woman show helping students in a variety of ways: acting as a registrar, advisor, bookkeeper, bookstore coordinator, and even generating report cards. It was during this time she connected with a pivotal group, the WNCC Student Action Committee. These students worked to save their beloved college from closure and expanded support that eventually helped build the present day Scottsbluff Campus. Coral continues to share their story and emphasizes the importance of that history. Student Action Committee member Larry Calfee, shared,“ I was very fortunate to meet Coral on my first day of college. It has been a treat exchanging Christmas cards with her all these years. Those two years I spent in the Panhandle are special, and Coral stands very tall on that list.”
Coral has also created some important history of her own. In 1969, when the current Scottsbluff Campus opened, she was the board secretary at the first meeting and, this past December, Coral served in that same capacity during the last meeting in the same boardroom before renovation began on the new facility.
Coral often shares,“ I simply just show up and do my job,” but for students like Calfee, she did much more. WNCC Alumni Director Jennifer Sibal stated,“ Coral has taught us much more than just the events of our college history, she has taught us to honor and respect the individuals that are a part of that history.”
Thank you, Coral, for 58 years of work and dedication to our college, Board, students, staff, and communities! Enjoy your retirement!
Coral as a student in 1958 yearbook