{"id":7625,"date":"2018-06-07T11:13:44","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T15:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7625"},"modified":"2024-12-02T15:09:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T20:09:50","slug":"the-class-of-68-opens-the-fairfax-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7625","title":{"rendered":"The Class of \u201868 Opens the Fairfax Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is Part 1 of a four-part series of articles pertaining to the George Mason University Class of 1968. The text is borrowed from SCRC’s exhibition “First Class: Mason ’68 and Beyond” currently on display through August 2018 in the SCRC Gallery.<\/em><\/p>\n

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George Mason College of The University of Virginia<\/em>, 1965
George Mason University Libraries records, R0095, Box 161, Folder 12
Special Collections Research Center
George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

In August 1964, George Mason College of The University of Virginia had reached a watermark in its seven-year existence. \u00a0Having just moved from its temporary location in Bailey\u2019s Crossroads, Mason was preparing to begin operation in a brand-new campus just a half mile south of the Town of Fairfax. Then a two-year branch of the University at Charlottesville, it would become a four-year-degree-granting institution in 1966 and an independent university by 1972. \u00a0Oliver Atkins, a Fairfax resident and a photographer for The Saturday Evening Post<\/em> met with college officials and offered to take some publicity photographs for the new campus that summer. Several students from Mason volunteered to pose for the photographs at various locations in Fairfax City during the summer of 1964, while the actual campus was still under construction.<\/p>\n

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George Mason College, ca. 1964 George Mason University photograph collection #R0120, Box 1 Folder 11 Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

For most members of the Class of \u201968 their first day of college classes began at the Fairfax campus. The four small buildings arranged in a diamond shape were named North, South, East, and West. A parking lot stood on the northwest side of campus. There were no other structures. Mason\u2019s 1964-65 academic year officially began on Monday, September 14, 1964. Although the weather on that day was a pleasant seventy-five degrees, Mason\u2019s new director, Dr. Robert Reid, could not resist boasting to the\u00a0Fairfax Times<\/em>\u00a0that Mason was the only college in the Washington area that was fully air-conditioned.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps the most sorely missed amenities were food service and a lounge for the students and faculty.\u00a0 During the first week, vending machines from the Canteen Corporation of\u00a0Hyattsville,\u00a0Maryland were hastily set up in a study hall in the South Building.\u00a0 356 registered freshmen and sophomores, a faculty of seven full and eighteen part-time instructors, and a staff of about 15 others made up the entire George Mason College community at that time.<\/p>\n

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George Mason College student lounge from Advocate<\/em>, 1965
George Mason University Yearbook collection, R0132, Box 1
Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n

The Fairfax Campus grew slowly during the 1960s. The only additional buildings to be built during the time of the Class of \u201968 were the Library (1967) and the Lecture Hall (1968). The Library initially occupied the upper floor in the East building, while the lower level served as a student and lecture center. When the new Library was completed in late 1967, students volunteered to move the contents of the Library from the East Building to the newly-completed building. They were compensated with sandwiches and sodas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u201cBook Brigade Highlights Library Moving Day\u201d from Advocate<\/em>, 1968 George Mason University Yearbook collection, R0132, Box 2 Special Collections Research Center George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n


\nFollow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media\u00a0<\/em>at our\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/span>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/span>\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is Part 1 of a four-part series of articles pertaining to the George Mason University Class of 1968. The text is borrowed from SCRC’s exhibition “First Class: Mason ’68 and Beyond” currently on display through August 2018 in the SCRC Gallery. In August 1964, George Mason College of The University of Virginia had reached […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,272,198,94],"tags":[631,195,632,635,142],"class_list":["post-7625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exhibits","category-gmu-fairfax-campus","category-photography-collections","category-university-archives","tag-631","tag-city-of-fairfax","tag-class-of-1968","tag-fairfax-campus","tag-oliver-atkins"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1YZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5144,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5144","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":0},"title":"Mason’s Fairfax Campus turns 50!","author":"Bob Vay","date":"September 13, 2014","format":"image","excerpt":"George Mason University's Fairfax Campus turns fifty years old this Sunday.\u00a0 On September 14, 1964 George Mason College of the University of Virginia opened its doors to 356 freshman and sophomores.\u00a0 The faculty, which numbered fifteen,\u00a0comprised\u00a0seven full-time and eight part-time professors. The four original buildings were named North (now known\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fairfax History"","block_context":{"text":"Fairfax History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=194"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/R0120B01F16.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/R0120B01F16.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/R0120B01F16.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7604,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7604","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":1},"title":"New Exhibit in SCRC First Class: Mason ’68 and Beyond","author":"Bob Vay","date":"June 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On June 9, 1968 George Mason College of the University of Virginia awarded its first baccalaureate degrees to 52 candidates. Prior to that George Mason, then part of the University of Virginia's system of branch\u00a0 colleges, awarded only a two-year associate degree.\u00a0 Attendees were encouraged to complete their degree at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/First-ClassMason68.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10152,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10152","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":2},"title":"Establishing Our Identity: George Mason’s Fairfax Campus","author":"Bob Vay","date":"June 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is part of a four-part series detailing the history of George Mason University from the student perspective. Our initial post, Before We Became George Mason University: Our First Campus at Bailey's Crossroads, can be read here: https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10138 In August 1964 George Mason College moved from Bailey\u2019s Crossroads to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7793,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7793","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":3},"title":"Apathy? The Class of \u201968 and Student Life at Mason","author":"Bob Vay","date":"July 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Part 3 of a four-part series of articles pertaining to the George Mason University Class of 1968. The text is borrowed from SCRC\u2019s exhibition \u201cFirst Class: Mason \u201968 and Beyond\u201d currently on display through August 2018 in the SCRC Gallery. As is sometimes part of the two-year commuter-college\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jeckleandhyde.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7849,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7849","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":4},"title":"The Class of \u201968\u2019s Senior Year","author":"Bob Vay","date":"August 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Part 4 of a four-part series of articles pertaining to the George Mason University Class of 1968. The text is borrowed from SCRC\u2019s exhibition \u201cFirst Class: Mason \u201968 and Beyond\u201d currently on display through August 2018 in the SCRC Gallery. What was the last year of college life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shea_leftoff_composite.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7653,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7653","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":5},"title":"George Mason College’s Class of ’68: Green and Gold and Mason Day","author":"Bob Vay","date":"June 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This is Part 2 of a four-part series of articles pertaining to the George Mason University Class of 1968. The text is borrowed from SCRC\u2019s exhibition \u201cFirst Class: Mason \u201968 and Beyond\u201d currently on display through August 2018 in the SCRC Gallery. The Class of \u201968 laid the groundwork for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gmcshirt68.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7625"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7649,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7625\/revisions\/7649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}