Archives: Guide to President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records, 1964-1969

Citation:  President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records, 1964-1969 (A-033), Lane Community College Archives, Eugene, Oregon

Repository:
Lane Community College
Archives and Records Management
Elizabeth M. Uhlig, Archivist
4000 East 30th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97405 USA
Telephone: (541) 463-5466
Fax: (541) 463--3996
E-mail: archives@lanecc.edu

Biography: Dale Parnell

Dale Parnell was educated at Willamette University (B.A., 1951) and at the University of Oregon (M.Ed., 1956, D.Ed., 1964) and served as principal of Springfield High School and superintendent of Lane Intermediate Education District.

He was instrumental in founding Lane Community College and served as its first president from 1965-1968. He was appointed Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1968 by Governor Tom McCall.

In 1974 he became chancellor of San Diego Community College and in 1976 he became president of San Joaquin Delta Community College. He was president of the American Association of Community Colleges from
1981-1991, followed by a year as Oregon's community college commissioner. 

He helped establish the Western Center for Community College Development at Oregon State University in 1992 where he taught before retiring in 1997. After retiring, he was a visiting professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His many publications include the book The Neglected Majority, published in 1985. 

Scope & Content Note

The records document the tenure of Dale Parnell, the first president of Lane Community College, 1965-1968.  The collection contains administrative correspondence, which is arranged chronologically; and correspondence between Parnell and I.S. Hakanson, Dean of Students.  The collection also contains subject files, arranged alphabetically, which include a limited selection of files on administrative topics.

The collection is divided into two series.

• Series A: Correspondence, 1965-1968
• Series B: Subject Files, 1964-1969
  

Finding Aid

For a detailed finding aid which includes a complete list of the contents of this collection, refer to:

• Guide to the President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records (NWDA Web site)
• Guide to the President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records (MS Word file)
• Guide to the President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records (Adobe PDF file)

Related Resources

• On-line exhibits:
  • Lane Community College: The Parnell Years. This exhibit is based on the book written by Larry Romine which describes the founding and early years of the college and Bert Dotson's role in establishing the college.
    
• Related Collections:
  • Assistant to the President (Bert Dotson) Records, 1960-1975 (A-032). The bulk of the administrative records from Parnell's tenure as college president can be found in the records from the office of Bert Dotson, Assistant to the President, 1964-1971.  These records are the core group of records documenting the founding and early years of the college.
  • Student Services Office (Hakanson, Carter) Records, 1965-1987 (A-024).The administrative records of I.S. Hakanson, who was Dean of Students, 1965-1969, contain records which complement the correspondence between Parnell and Hakanson.
    
• Oral History:
  • Dale Parnell: President, 1965-1968. In an oral history interview on September 24, 2003, Dr. Parnell talked about his role in establishing the college, the mission of community colleges, and his career as an advocate of community colleges in Oregon and Washington, D.C.