This page is part of the 2016 Lane website archive, and is presented for historical reference only.

Dale Parnell

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

Photo - Dale Parnell

Title:  President's Office (Dale Parnell) Records
Dates:  1964-1969
Collection number:  A-033
Size:  4 document boxes (1.6 cubic feet)

Description:  Dale P. Parnell was the first president of Lane Community College, 1965-1968.  This collection includes correspondence and subject files.

Access Restrictions:  None, collection is open for research.
Provenance:  Administrative transfer
Processed by: Elizabeth Uhlig, 1997, 2000.

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
4000 East 30th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97405 USA
Telephone: (541) 463-5466
Fax: (541) 463--3996
Email: 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:


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:
  • 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.