On the 8th of May, Shoreline Community College (SCC) celebrated its 60th Anniversary. This milestone should bring out the best aspects of what makes SCC the school it is today. Starting at 3 p.m., a variety of events and showcases sprang up around campus for students, staff, and SCC alumni to enjoy.
On the main courtyard in front of the PUB, a smaller-scale Info Fair & Resource Hub was available to inform about organizations around campus. There were various stands and tables from around campus for those interested to explore what Shoreline has to offer. These included student services, DEIA, Instruction, and more. Food trucks stood by to serve a variety of food items, with the most notable being free cookie dough ice cream that provided a quick sweet treat.Above the courtyard, there were short lectures being held in the 1100 building from various humanities professors.
Moving towards the PUB, the ISLs were hosting an International Coffee & Tea Tasting, an event long-time students may be familiar with. The quiet dining room held a gathering of SCC Alumni who were there to network with one another and take pictures in a dedicated photo session. Greg Hilbourne, one of the Alumni, graduated from Shoreline all the way back in 1981. He claims that SCC has changed drastically from his days studying at Shoreline; there weren’t even computers back then.
Continuing towards the Theatre, a Showcase of various student films was presented for anyone who wished to kick back and enjoy some movies. Right after the student films, the Theatre also had a ‘One Night Stand or JUST SAY YES’ Improvisation Show. Additionally, students could pick up snacks and cotton candy right outside the Theatre.
Headed back towards the front of Campus, the Library had its own way of celebrating SCC’s 60th Anniversary. One of these was a minigame involving participants creating a poem from a few selected words of a page and blanking out the other words. They would then create an artwork over the rest of the page. The Library has been preserving the Ebbtide’s legacy by digitizing older editions, all the way back to the first one, released the same year that the college began.
To wrap things up, Shoreline Community College’s Jazz Ensemble performed some music in the Main Dining Room inside the PUB. To conclude the ceremony, multiple speakers gave a presentation on their thoughts and praises for SCC. These speakers ranged from traditional storyteller and cultural educator Pamela SeaMonster to SCC’s president, Jack Kahn, and even the mayor of Shoreline City, Chris Roberts! And by the end, there was a cake cutting done by President Kahn and Don Macgilvra, a SCC Faculty Alumni who served SCC all the way back from 1966 to 1992. To add on top of that, there was also a raffle drawing for those who participated in the event and visited the various locations during the celebration, and the prizes include various trinkets, gift cards, and even a free lunch with President Jack Kahn.
In conclusion, the event was an extreme success, with a large number of students, alumni and faculty stopping by various stops and overall enjoying the celebration. So to wrap things up, congratulations, SCC and here’s hoping for many more anniversaries in the future!
![[Edwin is in the center]](https://theebbtide.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FullSizeAbroadJapanExterior.jpg)
RODNEY ROMBERGER • Aug 11, 2025 at 8:16 am
I just came across the article about the 60th anniversary event held on the SCC campus last May. As a student during the 1971-1975 era, oh how I wish I would have been aware of this celebration in time to have attended!
When Winter Quarter 2008 started, I was living in the Kenmore area and learned there was an opportunity to work in the Enrollment Services department on a temporary two month part-time basis until a regular full-time vacancy was filled. I was already semi-retired from a 31 year career and was simply looking for something to just “keep myself busy”, so I applied and was hired by the Director of Enrollment Services during the week between Christmas 2007 and Wtr Qtr 2008. I was told it would only be for two months. When the position was filled permanently in March 2008 and I was preparing to leave, I was asked to continue working in ES on a part-time basis. And so…I remained with my coworkers for what turned out to be almost seven years! What a wonderful experience I had during this time. I finally quit after moving to the Olympia area since the 72 mile commute was no longer feasible for working only two days a week. In February 2016, I picked up a part-time gig at Tacoma Community College and remained there until October 2023.
My primary reason for submitting this comment is to give a major shout out to a specific faculty alumni that I saw featured in your article. Mr. Don MacGilvra was my Accounting professor. During the first two years of my student years at SCC (1971-1973), I had the privilege of serving as one of his TA’s. I learned a wealth of information from him, not only accounting, but also how to become a responsible young adult and prepare for a career. When I applied for work with the Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company in 1973 and seemed to be having some difficulty interacting with the Employment Office, Mr. MacGilvra went to bat with me and discovered there had been some untrue statements made against me by a former employer. Through his intervention, I was offered a position and was able to enjoy a 31 year career in the telecommunications industry! I owe it ENTIRELY to him for having this opportunity and what would eventually give me a secure retirement and access to a lifetime of healthcare benefits. To see him cutting that cake during the SCC celebration brought tears to my eyes!
Even though I never had an accounting position at the telephone company, I did use my education to serve my church as bookkeeper and treasurer for almost 40 years and continue to do so currently. I also used my training to run my own handyman business during 2004-2008. My CPA told me during that time that he had never seen a small time business owner keep such clean books in his 25 years as a CPA. I have Mr. MacGilvra to thank for helping me form the foundation for that.
Long live SCC (and Mr. MacGilvra too)!