100-Year History of the PCC Geography Program

In 2024, as Pasadena City College celebrated its centennial, I was inspired to dig into the untold history of the PCC Geography program. What started as curiosity became a deep archival journey through student newspapers, yearbooks, class schedules, faculty dissertations, and more.

What I uncovered was a rich, 100-year legacy—shaped by pioneering female geographers, founding members of key geography societies, and a department ahead of its time in embracing diversity, environmental awareness, GIS, and online learning.

My article, published in the 2024 issue of California Geography, brings this story to light, sharing rare archival images and the lives of the nine full-time faculty who helped define a century of geographic education at PCC. California Geography Volume 63, 2024. California Geographical Society. 2025-03-05 https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/publications/t722hk51c

Read it to discover how one community college program made a lasting impact on the field of geography.