History of Ohlone College - About Ohlone College
Established in 1965, Ohlone College serves the cities of Fremont, Newark, and part of Union City. Located in the southeast area (East Bay Area) of the San Francisco Bay area, California (Campus and Area Maps), Ohlone College is part of the Ohlone Community College District.
The Ohlone College logo (above) represents two eagle feathers suspended from the sun. The rays shooting off from the sun look like arrowhead points aimed in the four compass directions, a traditional Native American symbol. The white band around the sun represents the "O" in Ohlone.
The two feathers, another traditional symbol, also serve as a reminder of the Native American traditions that Ohlone has emulated with our goals of being more environmentally aware in our building and our practices and celebrating and promoting cultural diversity.
The Fremont campus is located on Mission Boulevard off Highway 680 on a beautiful 534- acre hillside site just south of historical Mission San Jose. The Newark campus is located on Cherry Street west of Highway 880 on a 31-acre site adjacent to the San Francisco Bay.
Officially named Ohlone College on June 18, 1967, the institution honors the early Ohlone Indians of the Costanoan tribe, who inhabited the Fremont and Newark area. Long before the local Indians were named Costanoans by the Spanish priests, they were known by a neighboring Miwuk tribe as the Ohlones or "people of the West." Distinguished by peaceful pursuits, especially in agriculture, they held profound reverence for the earth, believing it was theirs for living and not for the taking. They aided the Franciscan Fathers in building the Mission San Jose de Guadalupe in the late 18th century and prospered until
1806-1833 when a series of epidemics virtually destroyed the tribe. Some descendants, however, still reside in the Fremont-Newark area.
Ohlone Community College District opened its doors in September 1967. Classes were first held at a temporary site in the former Serra Center Home for Girls on Washington Boulevard in Fremont. A year later, the Huddleson Ranch property, located in the Mission foothills just south of old Mission San José, was selected as the permanent campus site. The 2006-2007 academic year marked the 40th anniversary of serving the Tri-cities community with higher education opportunities.
In January of 2005, the College introduced a new logo to more fully represent the Ohlone heritage of its name.
See also The Ohlone Campuses.
Ohlone College Presidents
- Dr. Gari Browning 2008 - Present
- Dr. Doug Treadway 2003 - 2008
- Dr. Floyd Hogue 1994 - 2003
- Dr. Peter Blomerley 1979 - 1994
- Dr. William Richter 1975 - 1979
- Dr. Stephen Epler 1966 - 1975
Emergency