The Cochise College 50th Anniversary Memorabilia Exhibit is on display at the Benson Center throughout February and the Willcox Center throughout April.
Photos, articles, collectibles and personal papers donated by former students, faculty and staff tell the Cochise College story. The historical exhibit came together through the efforts of the Cochise College Foundation, an organization that connects with the college’s alumni through events and newsletters.
Shovels used in groundbreakings for the Benson Center, left, in 2000 and the Willcox Center, right, in 2009.
“We have quite a few pieces of memorabilia already here at the college, and since we’re always looking for ways to reconnect with alumni, it seemed like a nice way to engage them in the anniversary,” said Denise Hoyos, the Director of External Affairs and the Executive Director of the Cochise College Foundation. “We put out a call, and we received a lot of nice inquiries and had one-on-one communication with individuals who didn’t necessarily have a reason to keep up with us before.”
Hoyos said the foundation received historical items from alumni as far away as Pennsylvania. The exhibit also features the shovel used in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Willcox Center in 2009 and the Benson Center in 2000. The Benson shovel was donated by Mark Battaglia, who is the foundation’s treasurer and was instrumental in lobbying for state funds to construct the center.
A Cochise College pennant featuring the college’s official seal.
“I feel like our history depicts the hope we were able to bring to the people here who don’t have access to higher education,” Hoyos said. “The exhibit provides great insight into the college’s first 50 years and it’s been an exciting project to help mark this milestone with community members across Cochise County.”
The traveling exhibit made its debut in late September at the Douglas-Williams House Museum in Douglas, where just a few miles west of town, the original Cochise College campus opened its doors in 1964. From there, the display moved to the Henry F. Hauser Museum in Sierra Vista. The exhibit will be at the Benson Center from Feb. 3-23, followed by the Willcox Center from April 6-23.
The exhibit wraps up the year at the Cochise College Douglas Campus in May for commencement.
“It’s the county’s college, not just one community’s college,” Hoyos said. “So we wanted everyone to have access to it.”