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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E72]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAMAR STATE COLLEGE ORANGE
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HON. BRIAN BABIN
of texas
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lamar State
College Orange on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.
Lamar State College Orange is a unique campus on the Sabine River in
Orange, Texas, composed of re-purposed buildings that revitalized the
downtown area creating a beautiful campus. LSCO opened in the fall of
1969 as an extension center of Lamar University and first held classes
for 362 students in the vacant Tilley Elementary School located on the
site of the former naval base in Orange. That structure burned in 1971,
prompting community leaders to raise funds for the purchase of a new
facility. The fund raising campaign produced $250,000 that allowed for
the purchase of a building located on Front Street in downtown Orange.
That same year the Texas legislature approved the operation of a two-
year educational center in Orange and appropriated $125,000 to support
the operation of the center then known as Lamar University at Orange.
Dr. Joe Ben Welch played a key role in the early growth and
development of the college. He served as director, dean, provost and
president during his nineteen-year tenure at the institution. The
initial class offerings focused on academic courses that would transfer
and count toward a baccalaureate degree. Welch, however, saw the need
to offer career-oriented programs that would prepare students for
immediate entry into the workforce, and he began to add programs such
as vocational nursing and welding. This mix of academic and career-
oriented programs defines the campus mission to this day. Dr. Welch
retired in 1989 after nineteen years of service to Lamar.
In 1994, the Board selected Dr. J. Michael Shahan as President of
LSCO. Under Shahan's leadership, the campus has grown to over 2,000
students and made significant improvements to the campus
infrastructure. The Ron E. Lewis Library was completed in 2001, the
first new construction in the college's history. A new nursing school
and classroom building was added in 2013. Dr. Shahan saw Lamar through
hurricanes and floods and still managed to continue the growth that led
to an enrollment of more than 2,600 students today. After twenty-four
years, Dr. Shahan retired in 2018 with the honor of having the new
Cypress Event Center being renamed the J. Michael and Bridget Shahan
Event Center.
In 2018, Dr. Thomas Johnson was selected as President, and under his
leadership Lamar State College Orange will no doubt continue its legacy
of two-year academic programs, numerous technical programs and
customized training programs to meet the needs of local business and
industry playing a key role in southeast Texas' growth and development.
Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize Lamar State
College Orange on this important anniversary. May God continue to bless
and grow LSCO and the community and students it serves.
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