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BRCC History

The Beginning

A front page story in the August 25, 1966, Daily News-Record of Harrisonburg, Virginia, reported an unpretentious ceremony involving only a dozen or so dedicated Virginians who were assembled to dramatize the fact that something important was happening on an old farm site in northern Augusta County near Weyers Cave.

Highlights by the Decade

A black and white photo of four young men and four young women seated in two rows

Who’s Who students, 1969

A black and white photo of three young men posing with their arms out while standing on top of a sign which reads "Blue Ridge Community College"

Old BRCC sign, 1977

First 25 Years

A grayscale photo of BRCC campus at its beginning in 1977, with the text "Blue Ridge Community College: A History of the First 25 Years, 1977 - 2017"

A History of the First 25 Years (PDF)
Text from printed publication.

We all commute here every day
To take a part in knowledge,
That which we do not know
Or knowledge we can share.
We gather in the snack bar
To see a familiar face
Or maybe only a passing glance.
We all conclude the time slips away
We seldom get the chance to tell
Just what we have to express
On the outside, on weekends,
We often get the chance to be together
At Rafters, Caverns, Hayloft or Craftons
The Red Fox or the Elbow Room
Or maybe at a house party
Here and there, too,
We learn the true meaning of
friendship and companionship.
We sometimes are alone to ponder
To culminate our activities individually
And establish our own worth
Exactly what we mean to ourselves
And what we mean to each other.

-1969 Yearbook, author unknown

Photo collage with pictures of BRCC students in 1977 and 2017. The photo from 1977 is in black and white, and shows a group of 5 young men, 4 playing guitars. The photo from 2017 shows students eating and talking outside on broad white steps.