Uncategorized

A Peek Inside an Artistic Mind

Bill Lydecker Video

By Gloria Saldivar

On Thursday October 30, 2014 artist Bill Lydecker shared his thoughts about his very own art to an audience inside of the art gallery. Mr. Lydecker invited people to see firsthand his personal art that had never been shown to the public. It expressed his full potential to use both hemispheres of his artistic brain. His works consisted of representational and non-representational canvas paintings and gorgeous photography taken on trips discovering the beauty of nature.

Mr. Lydecker has an interesting background in fine art and geology which he combined to create the wonderful works of art that were exhibited in the Art Gallery at Taft College from October 6-November 21, 2014.

His artistic endeavors were met with meticulous detail and such complexity that it was almost too good to be true. Mr. Lydecker shared personal experiences related to his art that were fascinating to hear. One of the stories he shared was about the painting of his former home in New Orleans, Louisiana which he painted in the year 2000. It was a home which he was very fond of; therefore he kept a lovely memory of it close to heart.

Mr. Lydecker shared that the selected paintings exhibited in the art gallery where never shown to the public beforehand. They were kept in his home where they were hung up to receive the complimenting eye of his family.

After sharing personal stories and going over the process of the creation of his art everyone was invited by Professor Swenson to stick around for the reception. People had the opportunity to talk one on one and take pictures with the artist, Bill Lydecker. There was food for everyone to feast on, and a separate area where everyone was able to create their very own art. The event turned out to be rather tasteful and refined.

The Historic Fort

The gazebo and courtyard in the fort

The f\Fort is a place where history can be found within every adobe mud brick on site. A place filled with thousands of memories pertaining to the land of the free. This is the place where many people took their first breath as well as their last. This place is an open treasure chest waiting to be explored.

The Fort is located on the northwest side of Taft at 10th and Ash Streets. It was completely built on May 22, 1940, by the hands of 83 workmen. It was modeled after the well-known Sutter’s Fort which can be found in Sacramento, California. The difference is that the Fort in Taft is a bit larger than Sutter’s Fort.

From the time it was built, it was used to the benefit of the community. In 1940 the Fort’s south wing was used as the county hospital until 1951 when the Westside Hospital was built. It was later turned into a clinic where many children received their polio vaccines. The fort was also used as a housing development for federal, state, and county offices around the same time.

When World War II came along the Fort was used as the local draft board office. Here, local men received their call-up notices to serve their country as well as their discharge notices. Taft shared its fields with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. These fields are known as the Gardner Army Airfield where many pilots learned how to fly the aircraft.

A National Guard unit was set up at the Fort during the Korean War. Here soldiers used the Fort’s back parking lot as a place for their drills. The Fort was also used to house special arms and vehicles.

The Fort was eventually declared unsafe in 1980 because an earthquake catastrophe, and all county offices were moved to different locations. The culprit, large cracks on the outside of the adobe walls. The fort was left vacant for many years after being a busy hotspot for the community of Taft. It was then recognized as a State Historic Landmark and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 1981. This was all done thanks to assemblyman Trice Harvey who put in a lot of effort to save the Fort from being demolished to rubble.

In 1985, the Fort was given to the West Kern Oil Museum and in December 1992 The Fort Preservation Society was formed. The society became the new owners of the Fort. They strive to preserve the historical beauty of the Fort. The Fort is a non-profit organization which is open to the public all week long from 8:00am-8:00pm. It depends on grants, “Friends of The Fort” memberships, donations, fundraisers, office rentals etc. People can reserve the Fort for special events such as weddings and meetings. Anyone interested in doing so can contact Edith Laurin at (661) 765-7371.

Nat Dove Memorialized in Texas Blues Mural

Mural of Nat Dove

Nat Dove, director of the Bryan Texas Blues Festival, performer at the TIL Wine and Cheese Festival, and presenter for an ASB function at Taft College for Black History Month, has been memorialized in a mural that features many of the true legends of Texas Blues music. Folklore artists David Woods and sculptor Russell Cushman are the creators and visionaries responsible for this fabulous documentation of the rich Blues history and culture of the Brazos River Valley. The mural is located in Blues Alley in downtown Navasota. The city has been designated as the capital of Texas Blues for many years. The city has shared its official designation with the surrounding areas. The annual Navasota Blues Fest is a tradition. Just as in days of old, each year in August people come from miles around to hear the Texas Blues performed by true Texas Blues musicians. Long before all of the wannabes decided that this music was of any significant value as an art form.
Nat Dove, along with many other African American musicians of the 1950s, recognized the genius of this unique music and went on to dedicate their lives to the propagation of the genre. The Brazos River, and in turn the Brazos Valley, was the ideal breeding ground for this music. The political, social and economic conditions were perfect to spawn this music. Texas Blues music spoke a practical expression of survival. The Blues was always prevalent in the cultures of the communities along the Brazos River Valley. The cathartic and soul healing qualities of Blues was very much-admired in these communities.
This mural celebrates the essence of American history and culture it also documents the cultural gift this country has given to the world. Blues music is the first world music and the most interactive, adaptive music of the 20th century.

Mural being painted

TC Approved as a Student Section of the ASSE

We are pleased to announce that Taft College has officially been approved as a –

Student Section
of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)

· The Taft College student section is sponsored by the Bakersfield ASSE Chapter
· We are the only community college student section in California (one of three community college sections in the Western Region…one in Oregon and the other in Hawaii)
· Purpose – Students will: develop leadership skills, gain access to professional development & learning opportunities in safety, network and interact with occupational and safety professionals in industry, and promote occupational health & safety practices.
· We have approximately 20 student members and this number is expected to grow. Tori Furman, career development counselor, is the faculty advisor for the student section.
About ASSE
ASSE is a global association of occupational safety professionals with over 35,000 members worldwide.
ASSE promotes the expertise, leadership and commitment of its members, while providing them with professional development, advocacy and standards development. It also sets the occupational safety, health and environmental community’s standards for excellence and ethics. Source: www.asse.org

Phi Theta Kappa Food Donations

PTK Bake Sale

People from other colleges have been donating baked goods to Phi Theta Kappa, (PTK), and PTK sells the food to raise money for scholarships. The students had their families help with baking all kinds of wonderful treats to sell.

On October 30th, at the Costume Contest, Kayla Spoonmore, Josie Barrera, and Ceaser Castillo were helping out by selling food at the PTK booth. The members of PTK would like to accomplish many other events such as getting Cruz Thru tickets to pass out and sell candy grams for Thanksgiving.

“PTK thanks everyone for their donations,” said Barbara Amerio.

Financial Aid Literacy Day

$200 Raffle!

The Taft College Dental Hygiene Class of 2016 will be raffling a $200 Visa gift card! Tickets are $2 each. We will randomly draw a winner on Thursday, November 13, 2014. Please contact Laura in Dental Hygiene (or stop by her office) if you would like to purchase tickets! Thank you for your support!

Class of 2016

Taft College Dedicates Plaque to Ginger

Ginger

By Michael Clites

After 14 long, memorable years, Taft College lost its beloved dog Ginger. As most students of the college know, Ginger was a kind, quiet, shy at times, loving dog. Ginger lived to the age of 98 years old and spent most of her time hanging out around the Taft College campus.

She could usually be spotted somewhere near the Taft College cafeteria where workers would feed her leftovers of whatever was being served that day. All staff around the campus was fond of Ginger. How could they not be? Ginger wasn’t afraid to display herself openly in the middle of a sunny sidewalk near the entrance of the Administration building.

For students who do not recall the so called, “Taft College Dog,” a plaque is being dedicated to her in order to show love, and remembrance. Although the exact spot has been determined, the favorite is located at the front right corner of the administration building. This spot is favored for the plaque because that was one of Ginger’s favorite “lazy-spots” says faculty of Taft College.

Ginger you will be greatly missed by the students and staff of the college as well as always remembered.

Plaque Committee

Mike Capela with Ginger

Taft College STEM Star Party

Taft College STEM is hosting a Star Party!

This Friday, November 7th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm in the TC parking lot

Telescopes! Robots! 3D Printing! And MORE!

Come see the stars at Taft College!
Bring the whole family! Bring your lawn chairs!
FREE activities and fun for all!

Help us spread the word about this fun and exciting event for Taft College and the entire Taft community!

This event and all other TC STEM activities are made possible by US Department of Education grants, the Taft College Foundation, and donations from the STEM Corporate Circle of Sponsors including Chevron, Oxy, Sempra Energy, Synagro, and Wells Fargo.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rachel Belden at (661) 763-7912 or rbelden@taftcollege.edu.

Taft College Honors Veterans with Annual Rib-eye Cookout

Veterans honored at cookout

By Bruce Gray

On October 16th the Taft College foundation held a rib-eye cookout to honor local veterans at it’s fifth annual Cougar Alumni Friends & Family event. The event happens every year and is the foundation’s way of giving back to local heros that fought for our country.

Over 150 free tickets were presented to former military members from Taft. The night was full of fun and excitement from the music of local rockabilly band ” The Fruit Tramps” to the climax of the ceremony where John and Betty Miller were honored with the Taft College Foundation’s Community spirit award for their years of hard work to make the city of Taft a better place.

With the successful combination of great food, music and honoring local hero’s, the Rib-eye cookout will be a staple at Taft College for years to come.